Someone Like You
by Merl Laurence
Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. Kono/Charlie. Kono/Steve eventually. COMPLETE
1. Dreams Come True

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0  
>Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. KonoCharlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: Ho'o huli Na'au, Episode 1:22<p>

A/N: The first few chapters will feature flashbacks in italics. I've also included the lyrics to _Someone Like You_ at the end of this chapter.

Chapter One – Dreams Come True

# # #  
>Manoa Valley<br>Honolulu, Oahu

The modest cottage nestled in the back of the two-story home had been passed from older bother Fong and his family to younger brother Fong and his new bride-to-be in a matter of months.

And yet, when Steve approached the home, it looked almost vacant. He knew, a cop's salary and a lab technician's salary couldn't be much, but the sparse odds and ends surrounding the old, little home was a contradiction in Hawaii. Especially in the older neighborhoods like Manoa. Most homes in the area boasted a large array of potted plants, random castaway flip-flops and miscellaneous junk piles. This house on the other hand, looked clean and uncluttered.

But then again, this was Kono he was thinking about.

And Charlie.

And if there was one thing he learned about them from their housewarming party all those months ago – it was that they liked things simple. And, that they were just grateful for the chance at having a house of their own. So really, this home fit them perfectly.

He turned to glance at the larger house towards the front, located across the driveway. An older woman in a garishly floral _muumuu_ stood at the back screen-door watching him. He smiled slightly and waved. He watched as she nodded back, noting the flicker of recognition as one of Kono's former teammates passing across her features.

Sighing nervously, Steve then turned back to the task at hand.

He adjusted his grip slightly on the jumper cables in his hand before reaching up with the opposite, to knock on their front door.

# # #

_Honolulu Police Department Crime Lab  
>Oahu<em>

_Charlie had been studying the car grease specimen before him through the micron telescope for hours before noticing that he was no longer alone. He heard the light clearing of a throat but continued to glance through the scope anyway. He smiled, knowing that his lunch date was five minutes early, as usual._

"_Ahem," Kono tried again, unsuccessfully, to get Charlie's attention._

"_Yes? You know you're early right?" he asked._

"_Yeah, and you know you're still looking at the same sample that you told me about this morning, right?" she asked back._

"_Yes, I do," he responded tiredly. He shook his head and finally looked up from the telescope. "And you know what else?" he asked smirking._

"_Huh?"_

"_After all these years, you're still that same, sassy girl that I played spin the bottle with when we were little kids."_

_Kono laughed, her eyes twinkling and scrunching slightly. "You forgot the part about the kissing," she reminded, crossing her arms in front of her and shifting her weight to one foot._

"_Oh, I'll never forget the kissing part – trust me," he said, finally turning away from the lab table and rolling his chair towards her. He grinned._

_Kono smiled shyly and shook her head. "Oh my God, brah," she said snorting softly. "We haven't even really gone out. This is just lunch, while I wait for you to get me information on those samples."_

"_We can always fix that – the dating part," he said smiling. "Or – are you asking?"_

"_What? How?" she gestured nervously, unable to hide her giggles._

_Charlie laughed at how flustered she got. "I'm almost done with the samples. But, you've got to at least let me pay you back for all the lunches we've had together this past month," he reasoned._

"_You don't have to Charlie, really. You know, I've always had an interest in this kind of stuff and I – I like hanging out here."_

_He gave her a crooked smile and shook his head. "Officer Kalakaua, please let me just put you out of your misery? Will you go out with me?"_

_Kono shook her head again and fought the urge to smile. _

_But she couldn't help herself. She grinned back at him, quirking a brow at the same time._

"_Yeah, I will."_

_# # #_

_Hula Bar  
>Lewers Street, Honolulu<em>

_The three Five-0 teammates sat nursing their beers at the bar and relaxing after another week of cases that involved one too many car chases, shoot outs and all out brawls. But in the end, it was an immensely satisfying thing to do their jobs the way they did._

_They were due this. This down time, kicking back and enjoying themselves at the start of their weekend. _

_But they were missing someone._

"_Where's Kono?" Steve asked Chin._

_Danny took a swig of his beer and watched Steve carefully. By all appearances, their leader seemed his normal self – calm, unaffected, self-assured and focused. But he sensed something had shifted recently and Steve was somehow hurting. Every time he approached him, or tried to offer some kind of comfort, he was shut down and he had no idea why._

"_She's got another date," Chin answered, drawing Danny from his musings._

"_What?" Danny asked, his head swiveling to look at Chin. "With who?" he asked further, not bothering to hide his surprise. _

_Steve swallowed thickly, despite that lack of beer in his mouth. "With Charlie?" Steve asked, the seriousness to his tone not unnoticed by his companions._

_Chin simply nodded._

"_What?" Danny repeated. "Wait, is this the second date? You said 'another'," he said, pointing at Chin, who held up a hand with all five of his fingers splayed. Danny threw his hands up."I mean, why am I the last to know?" The blonde detective leaned back on his stool and huffed. "Since when?" he asked, gesturing wildly to Chin and Steve.  
><em>

"_This is why, alright?" Steve responded irritatedly to Danny's questioning with similar gesticulations. "Just leave it, alright Danno?" he asked as he stood to head towards the back of the bar, to the restrooms._

_Danny turned a confused glare towards Chin who raised his hands in mock surrender. "They've been dating about a month now," Chin answered._

_Danny looked to where Steve had disappeared and then turned his gloomy gaze back to Chin. "That is by far the stupidest thing Steve's probably done," Danny stated._

_The older detective smiled sadly, nodding once again. He knew what Danny was saying. But what were they supposed to do? Steve had apparently decided for all of them. He caught Danny's eye and shrugged. "Yeah. But, Charlie's a really good guy," Chin reasoned._

_All Danny could do as he set down his beer bottle was shake his head. "Oh Charlie's a great guy. But he's not Steve."_

_# # #_

A/N: _Muumuu_ – (pronounced moo-ooh moo-ooh) house-dress.  
>Author's Warning: I write slow, so bear with me please. Also, RL gets in the way a lot, but this fic idea has been niggling at me for weeks now, so here goes nothing.<p>

Someone Like You  
>- Adele<p>

I heard, that you're settled down.  
>That you, found a girl and you're married now.<br>I heard that your dreams came true.  
>Guess she gave you things, I didn't give to you.<p>

Old friend, why are you so shy?  
>It ain't like you to hold back or hide from the lie.<p>

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,  
>But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.<br>I'd hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded,  
>That for me, it isn't over.<p>

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you.  
>I wish nothing but the best, for you, too.<br>Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said -  
>"Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead."<br>Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah.

You'd know, how the time flies.  
>Only yesterday, was the time of our lives.<br>We were born and raised in a summer haze.  
>Bound by the surprise of our glory days.<p>

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,  
>But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.<br>I'd hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded,  
>That for me, it isn't over, yet.<p>

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you.  
>I wish nothing but the best for you, too.<br>Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said -  
>"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead," yeah.<p>

Nothing compares, no worries or cares.  
>Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made.<br>Who would have known, how bittersweet this would taste?

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you.  
>I wish nothing but the best for you, too.<br>Don't forget me, I beg, I remembered you said -  
>"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."<p>

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you.  
>I wish nothing but the best for you, too.<br>Don't forget me, I beg, I remembered you said -  
>"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."<br>Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah.


	2. Out of the Blue

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0  
>Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. KonoCharlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: None for this chapter<p>

A/N: This chapter features flashbacks in italics. Tiny reference to NCIS:LA. Thank you all for the reviews/comments and alerts!

Chapter Two – Out of the Blue

# # #

_Five-0 Headquarters  
>Honolulu, Oahu<em>

_Chin had already left for the party, but Danny decided to hang around the Five-O offices to wait for Steve. It was however, painfully obvious to the blonde detective that his partner was, of all things – stalling. Danny shoved his hands in his pockets and watched curiously from his office doorway as Steve moved piles of folders from one side of his desk to the other. _

_Steve on the other hand, was hoping that his procrastination would work and that Danny would just get fed up and decide to head off to the party. Knowing of course that Danny still needed to pick up Grace and Rachel first, anyway. _

_It only took a few minutes later and much to Steve's relief, his dawdling, however blatant, worked. Leaving in a huff and forcing a promise from Steve to be there, Danny finally left Steve alone to fend for himself. _

_Steve would have to drive himself to Kono's housewarming party. _

_The housewarming party that was for her and Charlie's new home. _

_Lucky, Charlie._

_Steve grunted in frustration and collapsed in his office chair, thankful that none of his team would be witness to the scowl that had formed on his face. He knew exactly what was bothering him and why he was procrastinating. _

_And the worst part of his situation was that he did this to himself. _

_Because at the time, he believed he was doing the right thing. How could he find fault in making her happy the only way he knew how? _

_There wasn't a lot of himself that he could offer. That's what he told himself, anyway. _

_Steve didn't believe that he was a damaged man, despite his parent's murders. Or, at least it didn't appear that way. He was a Navy SEAL – amazingly well adjusted for someone who's family and friends were constantly targeted. He wouldn't be a SEAL otherwise. A former SEAL friend, who worked out of an NCIS office in Los Angeles mentioned to him once that his partner asked if he even _had_ a blood pressure. _

_Steve grimaced. _

_Being a master at compartmentalizing your feelings was both a blessing and a curse for anyone._

_But that was just it. He wasn't cold or unfeeling. Kono never elicited those types of feelings from him. In fact, she had just the opposite effect. His need to protect her wasn't fatherly or brotherly. His desire to be with her, in more ways than one, was always a carefully concealed battle raging within him. _

_But somehow, he had gotten it in his head that he had nothing to offer her. Except maybe a house with the Pacific Ocean as its backyard. And his unrelenting promise to protect her. Regardless if she needed it or not. He had felt, at the time, that even if he did come to terms with the strength and depth of the feelings he was experiencing towards Kono, they wouldn't be enough. _

_She deserved more than just his love._

_And he had to get over her._

# # #

Manoa Valley  
>Honolulu, Oahu<p>

The door swung open by the third knock and Charlie's look of surprise turned into an instant, genuine smile as he took in the man before him. "Hey Steve, howzit," Charlie said as he extended a hand to shake Steve's.

"Hi, Charlie," Steve responded, smiling easily. "I uh, I'm doing a favor for Chin," he explained as he showed him the jumper cables. "He said that you needed a set since your car's having problems and asked me to swing by with these."

"Yeah? Oh, that's great," he said taking the cables from Steve. "Yeah, my car keeps stalling, one day it's just not gonna start –"

"Hey who's at the door?" Kono asked, interrupting him as she stepped around Charlie to take a look. "Steve?" She all out grinned.

"Hey, Kono." Steve smirked shyly, almost forgetting to take a breath.

"Uh, I'll take these, you two catch-up," Charlie said, as he walked out and around Steve with the cables in hand. He clapped Steve warmly on the shoulder and headed towards the garage at the side of the house.

"So, stranger," Kono started as she stepped back to allow Steve into their tiny home. "How have you been?"

Steve chuckled lightly and followed Kono into her kitchen. "What? I see Charlie almost everyday when we're working a case, that's not enough?"

"Really? No, Steve. Of course not," Kono replied as she pulled out a pitcher of iced tea to pour Steve a glass.

Steve took the glass from her and smiled sheepishly, knowing she was right.

"Because, _I'm the one _who hasn't seen you since I left Five-0," she said.

Steve gulped his tea and looked at her. "I know."

"Why is that, Steve?" she asked, crossing her arms across her front. She arched a brow and watched him carefully. "It's been several months, hasn't it?"

Steve put the glass down and avoided her questioning glare. "Four, actually. And you know why, Kono," he answered quietly.

Kono sighed heavily. "I'm passed needing you to protect me. I've never needed that much help anyway, you know that. And all that stuff about Wo Fat – it's over, remember?"

"I do. But you know, it's more than that," Steve said. He brought his gaze back to her and allowed himself to really look at her. It had been some time since their housewarming. Since he last saw her and she looked just as beautiful, if not more. And unfortunately for him, he realized that he still felt the same about her.

She shifted under his gaze and started to fidget the way she always did when he looked at her too long.

He took a deep breath. "I think somewhere along the way, I missed my chance," Steve said honestly, still gazing openly at her.

Kono visibly gathered herself before him and leaned against her kitchen counter. She bravely looked back at him. "It just seemed like you never wanted to take one though, Steve," she said softly.

Steve snorted then. "No," he replied. "You'd be right about that," he added as he shook his head. "Well, how about we just not talk about it then?"

She smiled and it bordered on bittersweet. "That's all we've ever done right?" Kono asked back. "_Not _talk about it?"

"Kono..." he said warningly, letting her name fade softly.

She shook her head. "_Steve -_" she countered.

He laughed then, his face crinkling slightly. A few years after starting Five-0, after all that they had accomplished and he was still extremely handsome and distinguished looking. Kono felt the familiar flutter in her stomach and felt ashamed.

And there was no one to blame but herself. Seeing him again somehow reawakened feelings she thought she had gotten over.

After all, he was the reluctant one and the one who encouraged her to go out with Charlie in the first place. He didn't really push her away, more like guided her. Steve no doubt believed he was doing the right thing, protecting her, preserving her reputation and purposefully setting her up to be successful in her career.

And Charlie was the best thing that happened to her.

At least that's what he kept telling himself afterward, even when she decided to leave Five-0.

"You and Charlie look happier than when I last saw you. How are the wedding plans going, by the way?" Steve asked.

Kono leaned back on her heels. "You're deflecting."

"I am not deflecting," Steve said defensively, unable to stop the grin dancing on the corners of his mouth.

Kono giggled. And Steve thought he'd never heard anything so wonderful before.

She shook her head again and pointed at him. "You are," she said, grinning for the second time that morning. "Look, I'm just glad to see you, it's been too long. You see Charlie more than you see me."

"Yeah, but you decided you needed some time away from us," he said.

"No," Kono said, shaking her head purposefully. "I needed time away from the job, not you – guys," she added the last part hastily, ignoring the flicker of hurt in Steve's eyes. She pushed forward. "Things are great with Charlie. Thanks, Steve," she said with sincerity.

"Yeah, I can see that," he said, still smiling, despite the turmoil within his heart.

# # #

_Manoa Valley  
>Honolulu, Oahu<em>

_By the time Steve finally made it to Charlie and Kono's new home, people were spilling out onto the concrete driveway between the tiny house and the two story monstrosity in front of it. _

_The melodic island music playing was almost drowned out by the talking and laughing of their guests. After bumping into Chin and getting introduced to every single person there, Steve couldn't help but participate in the festivities, finding all of Kono and Charlie's friends and family so sincere and upbeat. He also found everyone's joy over the young couple's fortune infectious. _

_Steve had after all, succeeded and he was truly happy for her. For them._

_When he finally found Kono and Charlie, he held out the box he'd been laboriously carrying around as he'd been shuffled from relative to coworker to friend. _

_Kono's eyes lit up and Charlie smiled at her reaction. He looked at Steve and quirked a brow._

_Steve smirked and gestured towards the box._

"_Chocolate Haupia cake! Steve, thank you," Kono said effusively. She reached out and hugged Steve._

_Charlie chuckled at her antics and shook his head. "Uhm, thanks Steve, but I'm guessing she's not sharing," he said as he jerked a thumb towards Kono._

_Steve stepped back and shrugged. "If you want to keep all your fingers, I'd wait till she offered you some," he said with a smile. "By the way, the house looks great. Congrats you two," he added as he reached out to shake Charlie's hand._

_The couple smiled before Kono turned to pass the cake off to Chin, who gave her a knowing smile. "We have other news too," she said, her eyes suddenly glowing._

"_What?" Steve asked, noting how Kono's excitement was radiating off of her._

"_I asked her to marry me," Charlie explained, somewhat loudly so that the other party goers suddenly quieted down to listen._

_Kono held up her left hand, wiggling her fingers to show off the small diamond engagement ring. She grinned and everyone burst into cheers._

_Steve was momentarily speechless, but seeing Kono so happy, he felt defeated. He took a deep breath and congratulated them again. He was thankfully saved by Danny, Rachel, Grace and Chin who were close by and as they too offered their well wishes, Steve faded back. Eventually, he disappeared down the driveway, walking out alone, into the warm, tropical night._

_# # #_

A/N: So this was hard to write for me. Mainly because of the way Alex O'Loughlin portrays Steve McGarrett. I think cdnyellowrose and I covered this topic before. He's not a tortured or damaged man and I truly believe that Steve experiences regret and guilt and all of that, I just had a difficult time writing it. Maybe it's because I'm going through withdrawal – Thankfully it is now SEPTEMBER! Hallelujah! Or not. Maybe it's because I kinda wish Steve was more effed up like G. Callen. That's it – that guy, he's got my H50 muse. Somebody make him give her back!


	3. Our Glory Days

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0

Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. Kono/Charlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: Oia'i'o, Episode 1:24<p>

A/N: So, since this is a Future-Fic, I wanted to point out that in this world, Catherine is gone - she didn't stick around when Steve got arrested for the Governor's murder. Also, CIA Analyst Jenna Kaye is back! This chapter is all flashback – hence the italics.

As always, thank you all for the reviews/comments and alerts – you guys are awesome. I have to say also, that I'm quite pleased that so many of you are sympathizing with Steve, it means for me anyway, that I'm not too shabby at my writing and that you really are enjoying what I am offering. But enough of this...

Chapter Three – Our Glory Days

# # #

_Hanapepe  
>Kauai County, Hawaii<em>

_Kono remembered that the tourist sign on the way into the small town read: _Kauai County's Biggest Little Town_ and she couldn't help but grunt in disapproval. Presently, she was running and cursing herself simultaneously as she made her way down a sleepy, winding little street. Hanapepe wasn't very big for sure, population wise, but it sure was spread out. _

_After hearing from Chin and Danny that their streets were clear, she'd practically bumped into Wo Fat by accident, had him in her sights and had a clear shot of him and yet she didn't take it. Somehow she felt that the killing shot should be coming from Steve – because it was his to make._

_But it was too late. _

_Her hesitation gave Wo Fat the edge and he took off, firing a wild shot in her direction and grazing her upper arm. He made a sharp left turn down another street on it's way out of the tiny town and she continued to follow, berating herself along the way.  
><em>

_At least, Kono reasoned, Wo Fat was on foot. Which would have been considered odd, but given that Five-0 was bearing down quickly on his location, it made sense. It was obvious Wo Fat was trying to lay low, but this time, after months of research and waiting, they had him. Jenna, who had moved to Hawaii so that she could continue to help them, figured out that Wo Fat was most likely headed towards Eleele and the Port Allen Airport, clearly hoping to fly away from the islands._

_They needed to stop Wo Fat before he disappeared again._

_Seconds later as Kono conveyed her failure in getting him over their ear pieces, she was still in pursuit of Wo Fat as they cleared Hanapepe town all together. She continued after him, down the dirt road __'sidewalk' when she got the surprise of her life. Still having a clear view of Wo Fat in front of her and her gun at the ready, a body launched itself from the bushes at the Five-0 prey. _

_Wo Fat went tumbling forward, dropping his gun and curling reflexively into a ball. It wasn't till she saw the pixie-bob haircut that she realized who the 'body' was. Wo Fat unfurled and rose to his feet instantly like a cat and attempted to run again but Chin and Danny appeared out of nowhere, effectively blocking his path. They too had their guns drawn and yelled for Wo Fat to stop._

_Kono felt Steve come up behind her, moving to her right as Wo Fat turned around to face them. They stood like that, for what seemed like forever. It was a weird standoff – where Wo Fat, with his arms raised, was surrounded by the members of Five-0 – set against the gorgeous, tropical backdrop of Kauai. On a secluded dirt road, coconut palm trees swayed, sugarcane bushes rustled gently from the ocean breezes and the bright Hawaiian sun continued to beat down on them. _

_Jenna picked up Wo Fat's gun and backed up to stand just a few feet in front of Kono and Steve's position._

_Wo Fat smirked arrogantly. "A fitting end or not, McGarrett? You kill me and you'll have no resolution and you'll have to question your own morality," he said._

"My _morality? I'm pretty sure that would be less of an issue for me. Unlike you," Steve said, pointing a finger at him for emphasis. "See, you on the other hand – being responsible for the death of Agent Kaye's colleagues, my parents, Laura Hills, Governor Jameson and no doubt countless others – _you, have no morality. _In killing you, I would be doing us all a favor," replied Steve._

"_Be that as it may, you won't make it off of this island alive," Wo Fat said airily as he glanced around at at the five of them. "I made sure to initiate certain protocols to ensure this," he added insolently._

"_Yeah, well how's this for 'protocol'?" asked Jenna, as she aimed Wo Fat's gun against him and pulled the trigger._

_But the gun clip was empty. Wo Fat dropped his arms and the sudden flick of his wrists and the glint of metal at the ends of his sleeves caught Steve's attention immediately._

"_Knife! No!" yelled Steve as he dove towards Jenna, knocking her to the ground. The remaining team members rushed forward simultaneously as Wo Fat aimed and threw his knives in Steve and Jenna's direction._

# # #

_Kauai Veteran's Memorial Hospital  
>Kauai County, Hawaii<em>

_Steve made his way to the hospital waiting room and was immensely relieved to find Kono there. "Hey," he said as he came up to stand beside her as she looked out the window, out towards Hanapepe Bay._

"_Hey," Kono replied. "How's Jenna?" she asked._

"_She's good, despite my getting carried away," Steve replied. At Kono's quirked brow, he explained, "I __uh, fractured her left collarbone when I tackled her. Danny and Chin are with her right now, trying to calm her down," he said, much to his chagrin._

"_Oh," Kono said nodding and smirking a little at his embarrassment._

"_You uh, you okay?" Steve asked as he watched her. He gestured to the bandage on her arm, not bothering to hide the worry that he constantly felt for her. Of course he knew damn well that he needn't ever worry about her, but that never stopped him anyway._

_She read his expression easily and shook her head at him in admonishment. _

_Steve smiled sheepishly at his obvious over-protectiveness and shrugged._

"_Wo Fat grazed me with his last bullet, I guess," Kono revealed as she smirked again. "Guess it was a good thing that he wasted it on me," she added._

_Steve snorted. "So to speak," he said as he nodded his head from side to side, a crooked smile forming on his lips. _

_They chuckled at each others' attempt at levity and stood in companionable silence for a few minutes before Kono shifted and spoke again. "I'm sorry Steve," she said._

_It was then that Steve noticed that she held her badge in her hands and that her fingers were nervously trailing the edges of it. "For what?" he asked, confused._

"_For almost letting him get away," Kono said softly._

"_But you didn't. You didn't lose him, you kept alerting us to your position and we got him. It's finally over," he stated._

_Kono nodded. She swallowed thickly and looked down at the badge in her hands. "You know, I almost didn't take this back," she admitted as she glanced at him guiltily._

"_Your badge?" Steve asked._

"_Yeah, everything. The badge, the gun, the job with Five-0," Kono explained with a heavy sigh. "After being taken off of suspension for the missing money from the Honolulu PD evidence locker, I – I wasn't sure I wanted to be part of this anymore."_

"_But, you came back," Steve stated._

_Kono looked at him then. "I came back because of you." She took a deep, shaky breath. "Because we were so close to finding Wo Fat, to righting all the wrongs he committed and I wanted to be there to help," she said. "I wanted to be there for – you."_

_The honesty of Kono's explanation sent Steve reeling. He always wondered and hoped that she felt something towards him. Something like he'd been denying he was starting to feel towards her. _

_They'd had moments over the years for sure: a few touches here, a few longing glances there, a few late __night dinners, talks and walks together. But they never went there. Then this confession from Kono about why she came back – this had him understanding immediately what she was saying and as he gazed into her deep brown pools, he felt a sudden sense of completion and contentment._

_Before Steve knew it, he was suddenly in her space and she was leaning forward. The tentative touch of her soft lips to his own felt so right to him that he instinctively deepened the kiss. He pulled Kono closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her tight as he focused on the feel of her kiss and the way it ignited something within him. What he had finally allowed himself, felt electric and life changing all at the same time and it truly felt as if she knew it too._

_The loud chattering of a large family entering the waiting room pulled them both from their moment and Steve found himself reluctantly breaking away from Kono. He studied her glowing eyes, her slightly swollen, pink lips and grinned. "I'm glad you came back," he whispered against her mouth. Glancing around her to take in the family as they continued talk amongst themselves, he kissed her again, lightly. He stepped back, grabbed her hand and began to pull her from the room._

"_Where are we going?" Kono asked, following him. She couldn't help the silly, little smile, plastered on her face._

"_Let's get everyone together and get back to Oahu," he answered as he let go of her hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders, guiding her out and down the hospital corridor. "I need to thank you properly, for coming back," he added with a sly grin that had Kono giggling and shaking her head._

_# # #_

_Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett's House  
>Oahu, Hawaii<em>

_Steve stood at the edge of his backyard watching the golden, setting sun, sink slowly into the horizon when he suddenly felt Kono standing beside him. He looked over at her and noted how the orange hues of the sunset caused her tan skin to glimmer and he recognized that she never looked so beautiful. _

_After what happened on Kauai, they had a lot to work out still, in terms of where they were headed with whatever it was that they had. Because truthfully, even before they dealt with Wo Fat, something had started to shift in the way he felt about her. Hell, Steve knew that somewhere along the way, he eventually admitted to himself that he needed her. And that he wanted her – in his life, always. _

_Kono stared back at him and noted the intensity of his gaze. "What?" she asked, almost challenging him in her tone._

_Steve quirked a brow and grinned. "Nothing, I was just – thinking," he answered._

"_About?" she asked as she grinned back and bumped shoulders with him playfully._

"_About how lucky I am," he answered._

_# # #_

A/N: So, a couple of things to cover – The dialogue between Wo Fat and Steve is a loose paraphrase of the actual series finale episode of Hawaii Five-O "Woe to Wo Fat," that aired in 1980. Also, I never actually say if Wo Fat is dead/arrested/etc. on purpose, because frankly, I don't know yet how I would want to approach that topic. I mean, crap, this chapter was hard enough to write. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter and feel free to let me know what you all think.


	4. Hiding From the Lie

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0  
>Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. KonoCharlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: None for this chapter<p>

A/N: Some language in this chapter. As always, flashbacks are in italics.

Thank you once again for the reviews/comments, fave adds and alerts! I've said it before, but you guys are truly awesome.

Chapter 4 – Hiding from the Lie

# # #

_Five-0 HQ  
>Honolulu, Oahu<em>

_Kono was positive she had done nothing wrong. Especially because, she wasn't whiny or clingy and come to think of it, she sure as hell wasn't demanding or high maintenance either. But, somewhere in the midst of her hot and heavy, two week romance with Steve, things had cooled._

_Considerably.  
><em>

_And they were just barely out of the starting gates._

_Out of nowhere, Steve began to strongly hint about the amount of time they where spending with each other and made extremely obvious suggestions as to slowing wherever it was they were going to – down. Truthfully, she had never figured Steve to be so inept in the romance department - especially with his type of looks and his charm. But something was clearly bothering him and she couldn't help but feel extremely hurt by it._

_Mostly, because he never talked about what it was that was bothering him, with her. Despite the repeated efforts to get him to open up and share._

_Kono understood that it was only a couple of weeks since the aftermath of what happened with Wo Fat and maybe the high and adrenaline rush of it all, acted like some sort of aphrodisiac on the both of them._

_But she really doubted that._

_She knew that there was a definite difference between those types of situations. Kono had after all, competed in stressful and pressure filled surf meets, where after winning, it was so easy to fall into habits that involved releasing the pent-up excitement in a variety of ways. This, whatever it was with Steve, was different. Of that, she was certain._

_Regardless, something was giving Steve cold feet when it came to having something with her._

_So, she got the hint._

_She backed off. What else was she to do?_

_Besides, if he needed her to play hard to get, she wasn't doing that. Kono wasn't that type of girl. But, if he needed his space and was unable to vocalize it because he just couldn't, then so be it._

_Kono sighed heavily as she stared at the computer screen. She had been sitting in her office, at her desk, pretending to be doing some work on the computer for the past half an hour and the damn thing wasn't even on. Fuck it all, but she didn't care. Steve, on the other hand, who had seen her walk into her office without so much as a greeting to him had not even given the slightest indication that he cared she was there._

_He was being a jackass. She had half a mind to tell him too. In fact, at that moment Kono decided that she would. She'd tell him that and then she'd force him to tell her what it was that was bothering him._

_Kono watched as Steve typed away at his laptop and felt like walking into his office and wringing his neck. She huffed and felt infuriated at his behavior; acting so _normal_. How the hell did Danny put up with him, she wondered?  
><em>

# # #

Honolulu Police Department Crime Lab  
>Oahu<p>

Steve stepped out of the elevator and was surprised to hear laughter coming from the lab he knew Charlie worked in. What made it worse, was knowing that it wasn't just any person's laugh.

It was clearly Kono's – light, melodic and cheerful. Distinctly hers. Just like her signature. In retrospect, Steve knew he really shouldn't have been all that surprised. It did however, cause him to almost not want to go in.

But aside from really needing the information on the odd Hawaiian artifacts found at the murder scene they had been investigating, Steve's need to see his former team member won out because – he just plain wanted to.

That and his heart actually ached to see her.

And it wasn't because seeing her a few days ago reopened an unhealed wound. Simply put, Steve never stopped wanting her. When he stopped by that day, to drop off the jumper cables to Charlie, he unfortunately reminded himself of what an idiot he had been.

Groaning inwardly, Steve mentally told himself that he was a man. And he needed the information Charlie had gathered from the soiled tiki figurines. Five-0 after all, did have a case to solve, that and Danny wouldn't let it go if he didn't get the information they needed – now. Taking a breath, he stepped up to the lab door, knocked and then entered.

Steve found Kono leaning against a table, grinning and then laughing at something Charlie said. He never had a reason to dislike Charlie. But, truthfully, he knew he would give anything to get the same reaction from Kono. The way her eyes crinkled, sparkled even – he wondered if there was ever a time he was able to elicit such a response from her. Certainly not recently and definitely not when he gave up on the possibility of them almost a year ago.

"Hey Bo – Steve," Kono said, shaking her head and giggling softly. "Wow, I guess old habits die hard," she added.

Charlie rolled his eyes at her, grinning at her slip of the tongue.

Steve just smiled, happy that she greeted him and the way it brought back warm emotions within him.

"I keep telling her that she misses this, you guys, the work that you do. You know, keeping the islands safe," Charlie explained.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kono interrupted, waving her hand dismissively. "I've got my hands full with all those kids that I've been mentoring at the Boys and Girls Club," she said as she smiled crookedly. But both men knew her better than that. Hanging out in the crime lab with Charlie was a prime example that she was bored out of her skull, despite how rewarding working with those kids could be.

Steve chuckled and shook his head. "You know Kono, Danny has been even more of a pain in the ass after you've been gone. And since we refused to permanently replace your position, he's given all the interning cops and detectives a rough time."

"Danny or _you_?" she asked arching a brow and smiling as Charlie laughed from his chair.

"Danny, definitely Danny," Steve asserted, nodding his head for emphasis.

Charlie bagged up the evidence and handed his findings to Steve, giving the older man a knowing glance.

"We'll see about that," Kono said as she dropped a hand onto Charlie's shoulder. She looked over at her fiance and winked.

Steve, quirked a brow at Kono and looked to Charlie for explanation. The lab tech just grinned again and shook his head.

"I'm headed over to HQ right now. I figured I'd stop by and say 'hello,' you know? Since I was in town?" she asked Steve, arching a brow in challenge.

Steve gulped. "What?" he asked.

Charlie laughed again. "Good luck with that Steve," he managed to get out in between his chuckling. Kono pecked him on the lips and was out the door before either men knew it.

Despite the pang he felt at the slight show of affection between the two, Steve still shook Charlie's hand, before quickly before exiting the lab too.

# # #

_Five-0 HQ  
>Honolulu, Oahu<em>

"_Look, all I want to know, is if you think it was a mistake?" Kono asked Steve as she barged into his office. They were the only two left in HQ, as Chin and Danny had already called it a day. And it was good thing too, because it finally afforded Kono a chance to talk with Steve about whatever it was that was going on with them._

_Steve knew he was being a jerk. He'd hardly said a word to her since they got in this morning. "No, I – uh, mean – huh," Steve sighed heavily, unsure as to why it was so difficult to just tell her. And it wasn't because she was pissed. She had after all, a right to be. He looked at her as she stood in front of his desk._

"_Because here's the thing, if it was a mistake and you're having second thoughts, then tell me. I'm a big girl Steve, I can take it, I'm not some lovesick, little girl," Kono said._

_Steve snorted loudly and leaned back in his chair. "'Lovesick, little girl? You think that's how I'm treating you?" he asked as he continued to look at her._

_Kono sighed and crossed her arms across her front. "No, no," Kono acquiesced, knowing that Steve never disrespected her. Or anyone, ever. "That's not what I meant. I just want to know what you're thinking. I thought we were fine and yeah, maybe we were going a little too fast," she admitted, trying to smile, but failing. She shook her head, clearly frustrated. "It seems like, all you want now, is to put the brakes on. For it and for us, to just stop. Period."_

_Steve didn't know how to respond. It was the truth. He wanted for them to stop. Because, however right it felt and meant to be, he wouldn't risk Kono getting hurt in the end. Even though things were somewhat done with Wo Fat, there was no guarantee that they would end up happily ever after. And Kono deserved something along the lines of that._

"_That's it isn't it?" she asked, realization kicking in._

_He sighed heavily and ran a hand down his face. "For the record, it was never a mistake, Kono," he said._

_Kono hadn't moved an inch. "Then why?" she asked, struggling to hide the pain from her voice._

"_It's me," Steve answered. "As contrived as that sounds -"_

"_Fo' real?" Kono asked, interrupting him. She shook her head in disbelief. "Here we go. You're going to give me the 'it's not you, 'it's me' bullshit talk?" she asked._

"_Whatever. We work together," he reasoned._

_Kono went from upset to pissed. "Yeah? Well at one time, I thought you wouldn't have cared about that," she pointed out._

_He shook his head. "Well, now I do. And frankly, so should you," he said, getting angry too. Though, for the life of him, he knew his anger was unjustified._

_Kono threw her hands up. "Yeah? Well pardon me for saying this, but 'fuck you, Steve'," she said, pointing at him._

_Steve grunted, but still refused to get out of his chair. "Hey. I'm still your boss," he cautioned, knowing that at this moment, she clearly didn't care. _

_Kono started pacing, clearly irritated. "Yeah, I know. 'Fuck you, _Boss',_" she said, correcting herself. _

"_Kono," Steve warned, watching her with a stern expression._

_She flicked him off, rolled her eyes and continued pacing. "You know what? No. You do not get to pull that tone with me. Or that face," she said as she gestured to the air. "You haven't even really explained why there can't be an us. What? Am I supposed to guess? Or do you want me to just give up and be patient and hopefully one day you'll tell my why?" she asked back with sass._

"_Kono, come on. It's hard for me," he said, trying to gain some sympathy._

_She shook her head and came to a stop. "To what? Be a jackass or to let yourself love? Or need anyone?" Kono questioned, ticking off her fingers one by one._

_Steve finally stood, but still remained behind his desk, using it for protection. "You said you could handle it," he said, spreading his hands out before him._

_Kono nodded. "Yeah, whatever you _tell me._ But since you haven't, what exactly am I supposed to handle here, Steve?" she asked._

_He moved his mouth to answer, but was still unable to vocalize anything. Instead he opted for sighing heavily again._

_She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. "Fine. Whatever. We're good. That's what you want to hear isn't it?" she asked, finally giving in. _

"_Kono," he said, grasping at something, anything. But who was he kidding? It was too late. _

_Kono put a hand up to stop him from talking any further. "We're good. You can't and won't talk about why we can't be together, aside from some flimsy excuse about working together," she said as she gestured at him. "You just plain suck at this, don't you? Then fine. I'm fine," she added, shrugging her shoulders and turning to leave his office. "Good night."_

_# # #_

A/N: I'm calling this the soap opera chapter. I'm not sure how I feel about that, since there's no actual case to speak of. In any event, I hope that you're all still enjoying it, even though it was a pretty sad chapter. On a side note, do not read further if you haven't seen Hai'i'ole, Ep 2:1! (I wouldn't want to spoil things for you!) I was kinda blown away with the season opener. Terry O'Quinn is the man (both in his role and as an actor) Not really pleased with where they left Kono – or Danny (personally) for that matter. And how come Chin is the only one fighting for Kono's badge? Grrrrrrrrrr.


	5. I Wish Nothing But The Best For You, Too

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0  
>Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. KonoCharlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: None for this chapter.<p>

A/N: Another all flashback chapter, so everything is in italics. Also, this chapter, like the last, is another roller-coaster, though not as intense. Just a little more arguing between Steve and Kono – sigh – despite the chapter title.

Thank you for all the reviews/comments, fave adds and alerts! And a thank you to _Seaweed _who I can't thank through a PM, but I want you to know, I really appreciate you comments/feedback!

Chapter 5 – I Wish Nothing But the Best for You, Too

# # #

_Five-0 HQ  
>Honolulu, Oahu<em>

_At first, Kono felt like she was breaking. _

_It hurt like hell, that Steve had ended what little they had in such a callous and non-definitive way. But somehow, she understood, because deep down, she trusted his judgment. And as painful as it was, she soldiered on, pulling herself together every time she walked into their offices, every morning for the past three weeks. After she had gotten over the anger, she realized that in some way, she was thankful of the way he ended it. _

_Because, he never let what they had, get very far. _

_They had to work together after all. _

_Concerned and curious looks from Chin and Danny aside, she and Steve made it work. They were both professionals and even before ending their short love-affair, as intense as it was, no one ever knew the depth it ran because it was never given a chance. _

_It also helped to be as busy as they had been. That, coupled with the fact that Chin was really her partner and Danny was his. Some days had her and Chin headed clear across Oahu, either past Waianae to Makaha or all the way out to Mokuleia Beach Park. Not to mention the few days over the past week that had Steve and Danny flying over to Maui to deal with what turned out to be an accidental murder of a vacationing congressman from Virginia._

_Kono looked up and noticed Steve leaving his office to make a beeline straight towards hers. She quirked a brow as he hesitated at her doorway, finally smirking and gesturing him in. _

"_Hey Boss," Kono said, greeting him with a slight nod._

_Steve slipped into her office and leaned against the door-frame as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hey," he replied._

"_What's up, Boss?" she asked, noting that things seemed a little less tense than before. _

"_Nothing, I just thought I'd – catch up, you know," he started to explain. "Since we've been so busy," he added, shrugging._

_Kono actually smiled, though it never truly reached her eyes. "I know, right?" she asked back, agreeing. "All that legwork that Chin and I did, exploring every inch of the island, we thought we had nothing."_

"_But it paid off, you guys did great. All the evidence you and Chin collected helped us place Eustavio Pina at the chicken-fight camps," Steve said, clearly proud of the work they were all doing._

_Kono nodded. "Yeah, but without Charlie and the work he did at the HPD Crime Lab, we would have had nothing," Kono said. "I mean, realistically, we wouldn't have been able to tie Pina to any of the murders," she continued._

_Steve arched a brow and smirked. "You're right," he said. "Guess we'll owe him."_

_Kono laughed softly at his expression before clearing her throat. She looked at Steve, then. "I know these past few weeks have been awkward, but I want you to know that I'm good," she said, reassuringly. _

_He studied her and her calm expression. Steve could tell that she was trying to be strong and she was succeeding. He smiled. "Really?" he asked, ignoring the tightening in his chest._

"_Yes, absolutely," she replied._

"_You lying?" he asked, arching a brow again._

_Kono rolled her eyes. "A little," she said as she groaned and dropped her head forward into her waiting hands. _

"_It's not – it wasn't easy for me either," he admitted._

_Kono snorted as her head popped up so she could look at him. "You're such a jerk, Steve. You know that, right?"_

"_Yeah, I know," he said, trying to not appear disturbed by the truth of her statement. "But it's better this way. And now we can move on," Steve added, as he made a move to go._

"_Whatever you say, I guess," Kono responded, knowing full well that this was the most she'd get out of Steve._

_# # #_

_Five-0 HQ  
>Honolulu, Oahu<em>

"_That's the fourth time this week that you're having me pick up the lab results from Charlie," Kono stated as she stood in Steve's office. "What gives?" she asked, raising her hands and shrugging her shoulders._

"_What?" Steve asked back nonchalantly as he continued to type away at his laptop, barely glancing up to look at her. "Chin's getting lunch and Danny's doing paperwork, I thought you'd like the chance to get some fresh air," he explained._

"_I was doing paperwork too," she pointed out._

"_You're still the rookie," he said, finally making eye contact. At Kono's annoyed look, he re-clarified. "I mean, you're still the youngest in terms of experience, so unfortunately you still get the crap work," Steve justified. He knew damn well, that she was long past 'rookie' status._

_Kono huffed. "Really? That's what you're going to say? That's your excuse?" she asked._

"_Yeah, why?" he asked back._

"_Four times in one week and you don't think Charlie could use a phone? Or email?" Kono couldn't help but grill Steve. She couldn't believe he didn't think she would notice the amount of times he kept pushing Charlie on her._

"_I suppose he could, but who wouldn't want a beautiful cop to visit them regularly, if not just to collect findings on a current case?" Steve asked, smirking. He watched as Kono folded her arms across her front and shifted her weight to one foot. He shook his head. "So, you know I'm purposefully doing it," he said studying her. "Charlie's a great guy. That's all."_

"_That's all," she stated back, nodding and glaring at him._

_Steve sighed and rolled his eyes slightly before he shook his head again. "We've been working a lot with him lately," he said._

"_Always," corrected Kono, still glaring at him._

_He gave her a tight, wan smile. "And, we'll probably be working with him a lot more often, since he's proven that the science behind investigating is just as important, if not vital to the cases," Steve added, acknowledging her sudden quietness. He knew that she was well on her way to being pissed at him – again._

"_And?" she asked. "You'll want me to be the gopher girl between Charlie and us? You think that he'll distract me somehow from whatever – we – had? I told you I was fine. I still am," Kono said in low voice._

"_It's not – it has nothing to do with that – us," Steve said, waving a hand dismissively. "He likes you," he said simply, desperately ignoring the dangerous tone of her voice._

_Kono rolled her eyes. "I'm not an idiot Steve, I kind of already know this," she stated._

"_Well then," he said, trying to prompt something, anything. He quirked his brows._

"_No," Kono responded, shaking her head. "No."_

"_What? Why not? Give it a chance," Steve said, pleading. As soon as he'd said it, he wished he didn't. He cringed, hoping Kono wouldn't notice, but to his horror, she did._

"Give it a chance_? Seriously? And what about _us_?" she asked, but Steve didn't respond. "Wow, Boss, you're still a jackass," she said as she walked out of his office. _

_# # #_

_Ala Wai Yacht Harbor  
>Oahu<em>

"_What. An. Idiot." Kono said as she watched the perp - Joe Boy - run smack dab into Steve, knocking them both to the ground. _

_They had all been chasing him on foot and after their team leader recovered, Steve quickly flipped the guy onto his stomach to pull his hands behind him and cuff him. The huge grin on Steve's face at the silliness of the matter was not missed by the cousins who also grinned in return as they walked up to him a few seconds later. _

"_So let me get this straight," said Danny as he finally caught up to them. A snarky smile on his face as an HPD officer stepped in to take the arrested man off of their hands. "Joe Boy walks into a liquor store," Danny started, jutting a thumb at the departing criminal. "And purposefully broke a pack of Longboards out of the back cooler so that the clerk would have to clean it up," he said._

"_While the clerk is occupied, Joe Boy sneaks behind the counter to stuff a plastic bag with twenty or so cigarette boxes and his prescriptions from the drugstore next door," Kono said, stepping in to continue the story._

_Chin chuckled and spoke next. "On his way out, he drops his bag and he actually spends the time trying to collect all the stuff he just tried to steal. Joe Boy makes it out of the store, but leaves half of the boxes behind as well as his prescriptions," Chin added, setting down the bag of cigarettes. _

_The Five-0 team couldn't help but smile at each other as they continued to discuss Joe Boy's antics._

"_Then, since we had his address from his prescriptions, you two," Steve continued, gesturing towards Chin and Kono, "go to pick him up and he makes a run for it with his loot."_

"_And along the way, Joe Boy's dropping cigarette boxes here and there like 'Hansel and Gretel' which made it easy for you to find him, until of course he runs right into Super SEAL, here," Danny finished, pointing towards Steve._

_Chin snickered while Kono dissolved into giggles._

"_Easiest arrest ever," Steve commented, chuckling._

"_Why can't they all be like that?" Danny questioned, grinning from ear to ear._

"_Aw, come on Danny, you like the action. Otherwise, without the 'Joe Boys', your life would be boring, brah," Chin pointed out and Danny couldn't help but nod in agreement._

_Kono smirked. "Not bad for my last day, you guys," she said._

_At the mention of Kono's decision to take a leave from Five-O, the men on her team sobered. _

_Danny arched a brow. "Are you sure you won't change your mind?" he asked._

"_What? And miss out on the farewell party you and Chin planned? Not a chance," Kono said, laughing._

_Danny reached out to hug Kono, finding it hard to release her. Chin smiled fondly at her as he too embraced her and then both men left shortly after to retrieve the cars._

_Steve watched them leave and moved to stand closer to Kono. Placing his hands on his hips, he took a breath and looked at her. "I'd be lying if I didn't admit how much you'll be missed," Steve said as he smiled at her._

"_By them? Or, by you?" Kono asked._

_He shook his head and looked away briefly before continuing. "All of us," he said._

_Kono nodded, smirking again._

"_I guess in retrospect, I probably should have encouraged you to take some time off in the few years you worked with Five-0, huh?" he asked sheepishly._

"You_ didn't," Kono pointed out with a sad smile. She shook her head at him._

_He grunted, acknowledging her point. None of them really took any kind of vacation - ever. "But, you're happy right?" Steve asked, switching gears, genuinely curious. "I mean, about your decision to leave for a bit and about -"_

"_Charlie?" she asked, interrupting him._

_Steve exhaled out of his nose and looked towards the ground. "Yeah."_

_Kono studied him and turned her gaze out towards the water, watching the sun glisten over the glossy surface. "Yeah, I am," she answered, truthfully._

_He snorted to himself and shook his head. "Good. I would hope so. You did just move in with him and you did say you would marry him," Steve said, laughing._

_Kono laughed too and playfully smacked his upper arm. "Are _you_ happy?" she asked him suddenly._

"_For you? Yeah, absolutely," Steve answered, emphatically. _

"_That's not what I asked," Kono said._

_Steve smirked. "Let me put it this way, Kono," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and steering her towards their awaiting, respective partners. "If you're happy, I'm happy. That's all I'll ever want," he said._

_Kono let herself be led to the curb, where Chin waited for her. "I want that for you too, Steve," she said, turning to hug him tightly, almost fiercely. She let go and looked up at him._

"_Tell me why again," Steve said, taking a step back, breaking her embrace to gaze at her._

"_Why what?" she asked._

"_You need to leave," he clarified._

_Kono smiled. "I'm getting married, I need a vacation, I'm a little burnt out and you said it would be good for me," she explained._

"_Right," Steve said. _

_As Kono looked at him, something seemed to dawn on her. "It would be good for you too, wouldn't it?" she asked knowingly._

_Steve crossed his arms and shrugged. "I used to think I knew what was good for me and for those I cared about," he stated. _

_Kono turned and got into the car and looked at him sadly. "But let me guess – you were wrong?"_

"_It's too late now," Steve admitted, gulping as he said it. He watched Kono look down and then back at him._

"_It is."_

_# # #_

A/N: Sorry for the wait. Fall season hit and I got lost in all my returning shows, LOL – as I'm sure we all have. Anyway, I hope this one was okay, no real Steve and Kono love yet.

Just a side note as well, I don't know if any of you have noticed the random names I've been including in my stories, they're mostly based off of people I grew up with, relatives, co-workers etc... good thing they don't know my pen name ha! But, they all have influenced me and supported me in various stages of my life, so here they be immortalized forever – even if they don't know it.


	6. Sometimes It Hurts

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0

Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. Kono/Charlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: None for this chapter.<p>

A/N: 1) I miss Hawaiian Food, you'll all know what I mean after you read this. 2) I apologize before hand. 3) I hope this chapter is not too depressing. (Ha! Like this maudlin mess isn't already!)

Thank you readers/reviewers/commenters, etc. Especially: _copoto123_, _aqiran_, _Froggie2_, _aprilrunrunrun_, _sphekie_, _Martha Smith-Jones_, _cdnyellowrose_, _fione.s.t_, _francis2_, _Nao Hikaru_, _Seaweed_, for reviewing the previous chapter – you are all so wonderful.

Chapter 6 – Sometimes It Hurts

# # #

_Five-0 Headquarters  
>Oahu<em>

"_So let me get this straight. There are three kinds of this _poke _dish – crab, octopus and the more common one of fish – mostly tuna?" Danny asked Steve, looking repulsed at the same time as fascinated. The only reason why he was so intrigued was because Grace had suddenly become interested in eating more local foods. And despite after all the years of living in Hawaii, there were some things Danny was still blissfully uneducated and unaware of. Raw fish prepared as a salad and, or an appetizer was one of them._

_Steve stretched his long frame out in the chair next to the conference table and nodded, rolling his eyes at his blonde partner. "Yeah and the next time we go to Kalihi, remind me to take you by Tamashiro Market, they have a 'poke bar'," Steve said. _

"_A bar? What like a bar with beer _and_ poke?" Danny asked, as he sat across from him, visibly gagging._

"_No, Danny. Although they do sell beer," Steve answered, shaking his head and chuckling at the same time. "A poke bar is like a deli case, with a variety of pokes to choose from."_

_Danny gulped. "Is everything in poke raw?" _

_Steve's chuckle turned into a laugh. "I don't know why I waited so long to teach you about the food here, Danno. Yes, everything is raw. Except maybe the octopus, which is steamed first," Steve added._

"_Wait, so the crab is raw too?" Danny asked, appalled at the thought._

_The taller man nodded again. "It's actually sweeter. You kind of suck it out of the shell," Steve said, grinning and loving the reaction he was getting out of Danny. "It's a little slimy, but it's pretty tasty."_

"_Oh my God," Danny said, covering his mouth. "Gracie is not eating that."_

"_Danno, you can't stop her from growing up and trying new things. Be thankful she's asking about Hawaiian food instead of alcohol," Steve reasoned._

"_Raw, RAW, crab, Steven. And then, octopus? Something with that many legs that can open a jar on it's own to get to the food inside of it?" Danny said, ranting, although smiling the whole time._

_Steve continued to chuckle while watching Danny gesticulate wildly and he couldn't help but shake his head._

_But Danny and Steve's lighthearted banter was suddenly broken by Chin rushing into the offices. "Hey, we gotta go, we've got a hit and run on Kapahulu. The driver that caused the accident left the scene," Chin said urgently._

Danny popped forward out of the conference chair. "Whoa, whoa, what about HPD? What's our involvement?" he questioned as he and Steve started to move to follow Chin, noticing his anxiousness.

Chin shook his head, a grim expression on his face. "Charlie was in the other car," he explained.

_At this information, Danny turned a worried glance towards Steve who had paled considerably. "Uh, Kono, was she -" Danny started to ask before he was cut off by Steve._

"_Was Kono with him?" Steve asked harshly as he pushed through the doors, striding down the hallway in step with Chin._

"_No," Chin said, worry still evident in his voice. "But, I need to call her," he added, giving Steve a pointed look. _

_# # #_

Manoa Valley  
>Honolulu, Oahu<p>

Steve sat on the back steps of the two story home and looked across the driveway towards the small cottage overflowing with relatives and friends. He heard the screen-door above him slam and looked up to see a little, old woman make her way down the stairs towards him.

"My grandson was a lot like me, Commander McGarrett," she said as she got closer.

Steve glanced up at her and smiled sadly, nodding slightly as she gestured at taking a seat next to him, on the bottom step.

"He was always thankful, practical and appreciative of what fate had in store for him," she went on, as they both watched the people mill about the doorway of the smaller house.

Nodding once again Steve said, "I'm sorry Mrs. Fong."

"_Mrs. Fong_? That's my daughter-in-law. No, you'll call me _Tutu – _Tutu is nice. It's what Charlie called me and it's what Kono calls me," she said, correcting Steve.

He smirked sheepishly at the older woman and turned his gaze back across the driveway. "I just can't imagine what Kono's going through," he said. Steve's chest tightened as he thought of how he tried to protect Kono from this very thing in the first place. Charlie was supposed to be the safe choice, but fate had something to say in that matter, after all.

"The Kalakauas and my son and my daughter-in-law are there for her right now. But, something tells me it's you she'll need," Tutu Fong said wisely, pointing to him.

Steve gave her a questioning look.

She smiled a semi-toothless smile. "Charlie told me once, what a good man you are, Commander. He thought very highly of you and Five-0," she said. Tutu then patted him on the knee and supported herself partially on the railing to pull herself up. "If anyone will be able to help my dear Kono through this terrible time – it will be you," Tutu said, reaching down to take his hand to squeeze it.

# # #

Diamond Head Bakery  
>Honolulu, Oahu<p>

When Steve entered the bakery, he wasn't all that surprised to see Chin standing in line, waiting to pay for a Chocolate Haupia cake that they both knew was for Kono.

"Steve?" Chin asked at seeing him and then nodded in understanding.

"Guess you beat me to it," Steve said.

Chin smiled sadly. "Poor kid, hasn't really eaten anything for some time," he said.

Steve sighed heavily as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"You haven't been to see her yet have you?" Chin asked suspiciously.

The younger man shook his head. "Not since we brought her back from the hospital," Steve said.

Chin stepped forward and paid for the cake before turning back to Steve. "When you get there, remember one thing – she's not as fragile as you think," he said as he handed the cake to Steve.

Steve took the cake and smirked. "I don't want to intrude," he started to say.

The older detective shook his head. "Brah, stop. No, you're _ohana_ remember? So what if you barely made it to the hospital. But then, at the house, you didn't even bother to go in. She's not fragile – she's in pieces Steve, she's broken. Do you have any idea what that's like? To see someone you love, so unconsolable, so – devastated?" he asked, not bothering to hide the aggression in his voice.

The look of guilt that Steve wore was quickly replaced with extreme worry, sadness and regret and Chin saw all of it. "I'm sorry, Steve. I forget that you love her too," Chin said. At Chin's words, Steve shook his head adamantly, in denial and Chin couldn't hold in his derisive snort. "I meant, that you love her as _family_, right?"

Steve quirked a brow and nodded. "Right," he answered.

Chin shook his head again. "Take this cake to her, make she sure she eats something and just be there for her," he said, knowing that Steve would of course never do anything less than.

"I got this Chin, I'll take care of her, I promise," Steve said, sincerely.

# # #

Manoa Valley  
>Honolulu, Oahu<p>

When Steve let himself into the small house, he didn't expect to find the huge spread of food covering every counter and table surface imaginable. He felt awkward, holding the cake-box when she was surrounded by all this food. "Kono?" he called.

She emerged from the bedroom holding her phone, looking so tired and worn with red rings surrounding her eyes.

"I called Kamekona," she said, no preamble. "I thought maybe he'd like some of this," Kono explained as she gestured around her. There were containers of _spam musubi_, chow mein noodles, deep fried mahi-mahi, chili, poke, _lumpia_, pork _katsu_, macaroni salad and all sorts of other local favorites.

"What about you?" asked Steve. "When was the last time you ate anything?"

"Like you would care," Kono asked back, a touch of venom in her voice. "Why are you here, Steve? I'll be okay," she said.

"You always end up 'okay', Kono," he said, refusing to be pushed away. He swallowed thickly and took a breath. "I just wanted to say I was sorry for what happened," Steve said.

"Don't," she said angrily. "If I hear another 'I'm sorry for your loss', I am going to scream," Kono said, her voice rising. "He's gone Steve," she said, breathing heavily, practically hyperventilating. "And you weren't there when he – died."

Steve dropped his head. By the time he got to the hospital, Charlie had passed away and Kono had collapsed and fainted from heartbreak. "I'm sorry for that too, you know," he said softly.

"Why?" Kono asked.

"Why am I sorry?" Steve asked back, setting the cake down on plastic container full of fried rice.

"No," Kono answered, shaking her head and moving to sit down on her sofa. "Why weren't you there? With Chin and Danny and me, at the hospital?"

"I – had something to take care of," Steve said, guilt overwhelming him again as he accepted her statement and the anger behind it. What use would it be to correct her now? Would it matter if he said he _was _there and he was just – late?

Kono shook her head and pulled her knees up to wrap her arms around them, hugging herself into a tight ball. "When the doctor told us there was nothing he could have done to save Charlie," Kono started, taking a deep gulp of air. "I – I lost it. I don't even remember crying or screaming the way Chin said I did. Danny said I collapsed shortly after and then I found myself here. My parents, Charlie's parents, Chin, Danny, Kamekona, Max, they were all here," she said, watching as Steve took a seat in the armchair across from her. "And then I remembered, and it was like I wasn't really here in my body. I could see myself, convulsing, sobbing and sad about what had happened to him. To Charlie," she said. The tears started to fall again and her voice caught on Charlie's name.

Steve listened and watched her and felt as if a hand had pushed it's way into his chest and grabbed and squeezed his heart so hard that he would explode. He saw and felt Kono's pain so clearly, his whole being ached for her and her loss. "I wasn't there for you," Steve finally said, his voice shaking with emotion. "I'm so, very sorry for what happened to Charlie. It wasn't supposed to be this way for you both," he said, sniffling and blinking away tears that were threatening to form.

Kono wiped the wetness on her face away roughly, but the tears continued to fall. "How could he be gone, Steve? How? It was a stupid car accident, not a violent crime. He wasn't gunned down, he didn't die in a gunfight, he wasn't targeted. Some guy isn't paying attention, drifts across the median and slams into Charlie and that's it? He dies because someone wasn't paying attention?" Kono asked, a watery grimace on her face.

Steve moved forward and knelt before her. "Nothing I can say will ever take the pain you feel away. You loved Charlie and he loved you," he said, closing his eyes briefly and taking a deep breath before opening them to focus on the woman seated in front of him. "I'm deeply sorry he's gone and I'm sorry you won't get to have the life I wanted for you," Steve said, choking slightly on the words as they left his mouth. He looked at her as she silently sat there, looking back at him. "All I can say, right now, is that I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon," Steve said.

Kono took a deep breath and wiped at her face again with that back of her hand and sighed. She was so exhausted she simply leaned over and uncurled herself onto the sofa. Tucking a throw pillow under her head, Kono closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly. Steve stood to cover her lightly with a Hawaiian quilt blanket and went back to the armchair to watch over her.

# # #

A/N: I killed him and I am so sad that I did it. Poor Charlie *** **sob, sniffle *, _Sammie28_, I know you feel my pain.

Glossary:  
>Tutu – (pronounced: tootoo – like the skirt) grandma<br>Poke – (pronounced: poe keh) raw fish/crab/octopus salad that usually includes sea salt, soy sauce, onions, seaweed  
>spam musubi – (pronounced: moo sue bee) spam, rice and dried seaweed<br>lumpia – (pronounced: loom pea ahh) Filipino spring roll, usually with pork and vegetables. The dessert version is filled with bananas and brown sugar. Both versions are fried.  
>Pork Katsu – (pronounced: cot sue) pork cutlet coated with flour, egg-wash and panko bread crumbs then fried and served with a ketchup like sauce.<p> 


	7. I Couldn't Stay Away

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0  
>Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. KonoCharlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: None for this chapter.<p>

A/N: 1) Still missing Hawaiian food, sorry if it was contagious, dang. 2) I've had what Kono's going through, though not as severe. Not fun, but I'm better now. 3) I wrote this while on vacation in Las Vegas, so forgive me if it's not as clean/smooth – but truthfully, I'd be the one to be most critical.

Thank you lovely, wonderful readers/commenters/reviewers and for all of those fave/alert adds! See A/N at the end of the chapter for more 'thank yous' and messages.

Chapter 7 – I Couldn't Stay Away

# # #

Manoa Valley  
>Honolulu, Oahu<p>

Steve was startled from his sleep by a low and painful moan and found himself sitting up immediately. He had fallen asleep sometime after Kono and after letting his eyes adjust to the darkened room, he found her figure resting fitfully on the sofa.

She tossed before him and he struggled with the decision to get up out of the armchair to go to her and comfort her. Kono moaned again, this time with so much sorrow, that he allowed his gut to lead his actions instead. He leaped from the armchair to kneel beside the sofa and reached out to gently shake her shoulder, when Kono suddenly bolted upright.

Sweat covered Kono's forehead, causing stray strands of her bangs to cling to her face. Her eyes appeared glazed and feverish and she breathed heavily and too quickly for Steve's liking. He tried talking to her as the sudden pallor of her skin began to cause him great concern.

"Kono? Kono, can you hear me?" he asked softly, so as not to startle her.

Kono didn't answer. Instead, she continued to breathe heavily and gave no indication of acknowledging Steve's presence at all. He watched helplessly as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them in an almost trance like state.

"Kono, can you hear me? I'm here," he said as he reached out to rest his hands on either side of her on the sofa. He was looking straight into her face, into her eyes and could clearly see the woman he knew, below the surface of the turmoil reflected there. She continued to breathe erratically and he once again found himself becoming overwhelmed by his concern for her well being.

"Kono? Kono, come on, come back to me," he said urging her. He noticed that this time she responded to the sound of his voice. "That's it, breathe slowly – I'm here, I won't let you go," Steve said, without registering how natural it was to say those things to her.

He leaned over towards the end table to turn on a lamp, to see her better. When he looked back to Kono, Steve was relieved to finally see a glimmer of her true self breaking through. "That's it," he said as he reached up to brush damp strands of her hair off of her forehead. "Breathe, there you go."

Steve stood up and moved towards the kitchen to get her a glass of water. When he returned and knelt in front of her, Kono's now clear eyes followed his movements.

"Is that the first time you've ever had one of those?" he asked.

Kono looked at him confused as she took the glass from him.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he answered for her, smirking.

Kono shook her head. "What the hell was that?" she asked.

"I'm guessing it was something along the lines of an anxiety or panic attack," Steve explained. "You felt out of control right? And, you felt fearful and frightened?" At Kono's nod, he asked, "did it feel like you're heart was going to explode?"

Kono nodded again. "It was like I was having what I think a heart attack feels like. And my vision got all weird," she said.

Steve nodded back in understanding. "Kinda like a tunnel?"

"Yeah – and you know this how?" Kono asked.

"Mary Ann. After our mom, well, you know," Steve started to explain. He saw Kono's understanding expression and knew that he didn't need to continue the story. He watched as she took a tentative sip of water. "How are you feeling by the way?" he asked.

"I don't understand – why did I just have a panic attack?" Kono asked, still appearing out of sorts.

Steve bobbed his head from side to side and studied her openly. "I'm guessing the obvious reason for you having one is -"

"Charlie," they said together, simultaneously. Kono shook her head again in realization and then she snorted.

"What?" Steve asked as he watched her.

"I hate being this way. I don't like feeling like this. I'm sad and there's nothing I can do about it, because he isn't coming back," Kono said, sighing heavily. "I hate this, I hate that he's gone," she continued, tears starting to fall again. "And this!" she said throwing her hands up at herself. "This crying, this uncontrollable sobbing," she added. "It's so frustrating because I feel so helpless," she said as she pulled at the collar of her t-shirt to wipe at her face. "And I just can't – stop."

Steve shook his head sadly as he gazed at her, before taking a seat next to her on the sofa. "You're not helpless, Kono. You are one of the strongest women I know. But you need this time to heal. Mourning takes time and you loved Charlie," he said, his heart tightening slightly as he spoke the words. "You need this. You need to go through the motions because your heart, your mind and your body need this. Don't rush it."

Kono leaned her shoulder against Steve's for support. "Why is it that advice given is easier said than done?" she asked, her eyes downcast.

"I never said anything about 'easy', Kono," Steve admitted, wistfully.

"No – you didn't. That's true."

# # #

Honolulu  
>Oahu<p>

When Tutu Fong called to tell Chin that she saw Kono leave in the dead of night and that she was worried about her, he was instructed to call Steve.

And Chin, ever respectful of his elders did as he was told, despite wanting to go himself to check on his younger cousin. He pulled his phone away briefly to speed dial Steve and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Mild relief washed over him as Steve picked up after the first ring.

_"Chin?" _Steve asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Hey Steve," Chin began. "I got a call from Tutu Fong."

_"Is Kono okay?" _Steve asked, immediately alert.

Chin snorted softly to himself, partially surprised and not, about Steve's question. "Not sure. Tutu said to call you and let you know that she saw Kono leaving a few minutes ago," answered Chin. "It's three in the morning, Steve. What's going on? Where would she go?"

Steve sighed heavily and Chin could here the rustling of the bed covers through the phone. _"She'll be fine Chin, I'll get her."_

"Whoa brah. What aren't you telling me, Steve?"

_"She probably had a nightmare or something. She's been having problems sleeping and when she does finally get there, she wakes up in the middle of an anxiety attack," _he heard Steve explain as it sounded like he was moving through his home. It didn't bother Chin at all that Steve knew so much about what was bothering his cousin – if anything it comforted him to know that this time, after what Kono had been through, Steve was in fact, watching over her.

Chin sat up. "Why hasn't she said anything before?"

He heard Steve sigh heavily through the phone and then a car door being slammed shut. _"Because she's so intent on showing all of us and proving to herself, that she's healing."_

"Poor kid. She'll be okay?" Chin asked, unable to stifle his own heavy sigh.

_"She'll be fine, I'll take care of her. I know where she is."_

"You're sure?" The older man questioned, hearing the start of a car engine through the phone.

_"Yeah, I've got her."_

At that moment, Chin had no doubts and understood implicitly why Tutu Fong had insisted on him calling Steve.

# # #

Zippy's Restaurant  
>King Street, Honolulu<p>

As Steve stepped through the doors of the restaurant, he immediately spotted the woman he was searching for, seated in a booth on the far-side of the room. Thankfully, he remembered that she'd mentioned once, offhandedly, how she came here if she couldn't sleep and it was too late or early, to surf.

"That's like four times in three weeks, Steve. I think you've set a record," Kono said as she watched him approach and then take a seat next to her.

Steve ducked his head, embarrassed. In the four months after Kono left Five-0, he never called and never visited. Most times he found some flimsy excuse to forgo seeing her and he always preferred to find out how she was doing through Chin, Danny or Charlie. But now, after Charlie's death, he just couldn't stay away. He wanted to tell her that he was worried about her. But who was he kidding? That much was obvious and he knew, she knew it.

"I hate to just turn up like this," he said, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Tutu Fong called you, huh?" Kono asked.

Steve inclined his head. "Sort of."

Kono arched a brow and took a sip of the tea she had ordered.

"She called Chin and asked him to call me," Steve explained.

"Great," Kono said, snorting softly.

"She's worried about you and truthfully, we all are," he said. At her annoyed look, he added, "leaving your house at three in the morning, would give anyone cause to worry."

Kono huffed and crossed her arms across her front. "I would argue and say I was fine, but we both know that's not true."

"You had another panic attack?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Kono said, starting to chew on her thumb nail.

"Was it worse or better than that first one?" he asked, ignoring her worn appearance.

"The same, I guess," she responded, despondent. "I just don't see how I'm ever going to work through them, they scare the hell out of me."

Steve nodded, noting her disappointment. "Give it time, Kono."

"Right, that's all I have," Kono said with a small frown.

"Hey," Steve said, bumping her shoulder with his own. "You have me," he added.

Kono's slight frown turned into a tiny, smile. "I know, thank you Steve."

"Ready for me to take you home?" Steve asked as he stood and held out a hand to her.

She looked up at him and nodded, placing her hand in his and allowing him to lead her out of the restaurant.

# # #

Valley of the Temples Memorial Park  
>Kaneohe, Oahu<p>

The funeral was set against the lush mountains and green rolling hills of Kaneohe, with the sun shining down on the group of family and friends mourning the loss of an island son.

Although Charlie's parents spent most of their time on the mainland, they'd just recently moved back to the islands to be around for the wedding. Never in their dreams did they think they would return for the death of one of their children. Tutu Fong kept a watchful eye on her grandchildren to ease her son and daughter-in-laws' minds.

But this – was more than any of them could bear.

Charlie, Tutu remembered, had always considered Hawaii his true home, having been born here and growing up in the islands before moving prior to his freshman year of high-school. She smiled to herself, thinking how he had always told his parents that he wanted to come back. And when he did, he found that he loved it – telling Tutu one afternoon over a snack of homemade _manapua _and soda, about how he truly loved the people, the memories, the way of life and the food.

When Charlie had reconnected with Kono, Tutu could tell immediately that they would become more than just friends. The old woman looked across the coffin at Kono and sighed deeply. Her own heart ached for the young woman, for she knew and saw first hand the love that had developed between the two.

Despite the bond she saw between Kono and her former boss, she knew that Kono's love for Charlie was true and genuine. She would never doubt that.

The old woman's gaze turned towards Steve and she studied him, noticing that the tall man's own gaze was fixed on Kono. There was something in the way they looked at each other that had Tutu Fong understanding how strong their connection was and she couldn't begrudge the friendship between the two.

Tutu sniffled and reached into her pocket to retrieve a napkin to wipe at her tears and inadvertently brushed her fingers along the letter she had pocketed earlier. There would be time she figured, to deliver it later. For now, as she continued to watch Steve as he stood next to Kono, she remembered another conversation with her grandson regarding the Commander, about how thankful he was for the opportunity Steve afforded him. Tutu never questioned Charlie about what that 'opportunity' was, but looking across at Steve and Kono, she had a sudden realization about what he could have been referring to.

# # #

A/N: Thank you _Martha Smith-Jones, copoto123, francis2, Froggie2_ - for your comments, as always, I love them. _Mariedan_ – he will one day, be confident and man enough to. _sphekie_ – hang on, I'll reveal why Steve wasn't immediately at the hospital, I hope you keep reading! A very heartfelt, "oh _sammie28_." _cdnyellowrose_ – thank you. Someone needs to keep my self deprecation in check, tag – you're it! And, once again, thank all of you guys so much for taking the time to review and comment on the latest chapter. I hope you like this one as well.

Glossary:

Manapua – steamed or baked bun with a savory filling. In Hawaii, manapuas are usually made with char sui pork (Chinese barbequed pork).


	8. I Couldn't Fight It

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0  
>Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. KonoCharlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: None for this chapter<p>

A/N: First of all, a tiny, tiny bit of swearing in this chapter. And, I apologize for the delay in an update. But, I know that fellow Steve/Kono fans are feeling my pain, in that, Season 2 has been brutal on the muse. In any event, despite having an outline and fairly thorough notes for SLY already laid out, this will continue to be slow going because there's just not enough Kono and Steve love in the new season to feed off of (mainly: not enough screen time for Kono and the un-Steve-ness of Steve).

Once again, a very sincere thanks to those of you that reviewed/left comments/pm'd added faves and alerts. Also, big thank you to those of you who read and commented on my two recent ranting/oneshots – _The Outsider _and_ Deceive, Inveigle, Obfuscate._

Chapter 8 – I Couldn't Fight It

# # #

_Hawaii Medical Center, West  
>Honolulu, Oahu<em>

"_Where the hell are you, Steve?" Danny asked through his phone as he strode quickly down a corridor. He and Chin had just arrived at HMC West after leaving the scene of the Charlie's car accident._

"I'm on my way," _Steve said, urgently._ "I had to do something first."

_There was something about the way Steve spoke that raised Danny's suspicion, that and the way Steve took off at the accident scene, driving off in Danny's Camaro without a word first or otherwise. "Steven, no. What did you do? Where are you?" his partner asked again, stress clearly evident in his voice. He felt Chin grip his shoulder and then saw the older man head off to meet Kono who looked up at them. She was chewing nervously on her thumb nail and was apparently, pacing a groove into the linoleum floor of the emergency room._

"I'm on my way Danny. How's Charlie? And Kono?" _He could hear Steve sigh heavily on the other end of the line._

_Danny paused as he looked towards the end of a curtained wall. _

_Chin stood holding his cousin as she wept. The ER doctor that they were speaking to, spoke in hushed tones, but anyone who saw his body language and that of Kono's could tell what the result of the conversation was. Kono was suddenly sobbing loudly and shaking and then she was screaming. Danny swallowed thickly in realization of the moment and shut his eyes tightly._

"_You need to be here, Steve," Danny gritted out as he opened his eyes, in time to see Kono collapse. Chin and the ER doctor moved in quickly as did a nurse who helped to lift Kono. "Now. I mean it, Steve!" he exclaimed as he rushed forward to help them._

_Steve's desperate yells went unheard as Danny ended the call abruptly._

_Minutes later as Steve came running through the ER, he was met with the somber expressions of Danny and Chin and he could literally feel his heart jumping upwards into his throat. 'No, no, no', he thought to himself. He shook his head stubbornly. "Where is she?"_

_Chin sighed heavily and looked at Steve. "They gave her a sedative, then we'll take her home," he answered._

"_Charlie, uh," Danny began, rubbing hard at his chin as he came forward towards Steve. "He didn't make it," he said softly._

_Steve nodded in comprehension. His eyes slid shut as he willed his sadness for Kono away, this shouldn't have happened to her – to him even – not Charlie._

"_Where where you?" Danny suddenly asked. "At the accident scene, you just took off."_

"_I needed to do something Danny, I had a hunch," Steve explained._

"_A hunch? A hunch? About what? At a time like this? When Kono needed you to be here?" his partner asked, gesturing wildly, increasing the severity of the situation._

"_Danny, brah, calm down," said Chin stepping towards the duo, realization dawning on his usually stoic face. "Did you get him?" was all that Chin asked._

"_Who?" asked Danny, slow once again on the uptake._

"_The 'hit and run' driver," Chin answered as he gazed at Danny and then Steve. "That's where you went, right?"_

"_Yeah," replied Steve._

"_What? How?" Danny asked, throwing his hands up._

"_I saw it come over the wire a few days ago. Some guy had committed a 'hit and run' on Ke'eaumoku Boulevard but there were no serious injuries. And then there was another on King Street, a day later. This time, the driver sent an older gentleman to the hospital. Duke at HPD thought that this person was the same and becoming a menace," Steve explained as he took a seat along the wall of benches lining the ER. "I just went over to the address on file. It was for the vehicle license plate that was spotted at the second 'hit and run' and was registered to a Jerry Hana."_

"_You found a match?" Danny asked, disbelieving._

"_Yeah," Steve answered sadly. "The car was barely in the garage, but the engine was still warm and the whole left side of the vehicle was crushed and had streaks of paint that matched the color of Charlie's car," he said, shaking his head. "When I got to the house, the front door was ajar and passed out on the living room floor, reeking of alcohol and bleeding from his injuries was Jerry," Steve said, looking down at his hands._

_It was then that Danny and Chin noticed the blood on Steve's hands, mostly covering his knuckles._

"_You didn't, do what I think you did, did you?" Danny said, gulping a little as he took a seat next to Steve._

_Steve looked at Danny and then at Chin. "I called Duke and headed over here ASAP."_

_Chin nodded and reached out to clasp Steve on the shoulder and Steve truly felt comforted by the older man's touch. But still, Steve shook his head in remorse. "I should have been here, guys," he said._

"_No," said Danny. "Look, once again, your overwhelming need to be Super SEAL won out – you had to go find the guy that did this to Charlie and Kono. But this behavior is not something you can fight, babe. It's who you are. You're like this because you care about them," Danny said._

"_But she needed me," Steve said, shaking his head sadly._

_Danny sighed and looked to Chin first before speaking to Steve again. "Now is not the time for you to regret not being here. I'm sorry about making you feel that way earlier," he said, his hands together as if in prayer, bobbing in front of him. "Of course, had you told me where you had gone, I would have been more forgiving," he added with a slight smirk that had Steve snorting and shaking his head somberly in response._

"_What matters, Steve," began Chin, getting them to focus again on the situation,"is that you're here now."_

# # #

Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett's House  
>Oahu<p>

The knock on Steve's front door at three thirty in the morning was only slightly uncommon. In the past, Steve's first instinct was to always believe an unexpected visitor at this time of hour would be one of malicious intent. But lately, he knew exactly what it meant and who it was.

He opened the door and found Kono there, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she shuffled past him and into his living room to settle on his sofa.

"Nightmare or anxiety attack?" Steve asked.

"The former," she said as she sighed heavily and moved to arrange the pillow cushions towards the end of the sofa.

Steve nodded and moved towards the kitchen. "Tea or water?" he asked.

Over the past two and a half months, it was becoming a routine with her. She would either end up at his home in the middle of the night, or he would get a call from her that would either result in a late night or very early cup of coffee at Zippy's. He didn't mind either way though, he was just happy that she came or called him when she needed him. It wasn't often, but it was enough.

"Water," she said as she turned to lay down. "I left my spare surf board here, right?" she asked.

"It's out back, ready when you are," Steve answered as he placed the water glass on his coffee table, in front of her.

He looked down at her and smiled a little, placing his hands on his hips. Watching her surf the mornings after, was also becoming routine for him and he found that he enjoyed those moments the most. After seeing and knowing that Kono was suffering through another rough night, it gave him some relief to see her relax and work out the issues of the night - or whatever that was going on - on her board, in the great, blue Pacific.

Kono shifted on the sofa so that she could look up at him. "Thanks, Steve," Kono said.

Steve's smile softened and he nodded slightly. "Anytime, I'll see you in a couple of hours?"

"Hm-mmm," she said sleepily as she rolled over.

He couldn't help but quietly chuckle as he made his way up the stairs towards his bedroom.

A few hours later when Steve awoke in the morning and made his way down the stairs, he wasn't surprised to find Kono gone with her blanket folded and the pillows tucked back, neatly into place. Peeking out back, through the glass sliding doors however, he was perplexed to find that she wasn't out in the water as he'd expected her to be.

He opened the sliding doors hurriedly and stepped through to the outside. Steve couldn't help why his guard immediately went up, but something about not knowing exactly where Kono was at the moment disturbed him.

"Looking for me?" he heard Kono ask and he smiled instantly, in relief and turned around. He found her sitting next to her board, against the wall of his home. Kono's hair was damp and she had pulled a t-shirt over her bikini as she had her knees drawn up to her and leaned her forearms across them.

"How long have you been out here?" Steve asked as he walked over and took a seat next to her, on the concrete base of the _lanai_. He did nothing to hide his concerned look or tone.

Kono rolled her eyes and smirked, picking up on his worry for her. "Not that long," she answered. "And cut that out, please?"

"What?" Steve asked, another smile tugging on the corners of his mouth.

"Worrying about me. I'm doing much better," Kono assured him. "You know that, right?"

Steve snorted slightly and nodded. "And the nightmares?" he asked.

Kono shrugged. "They haven't been about Charlie recently," she answered. "In fact, I haven't had an anxiety attack that recently either."

Steve stared straight ahead into the ocean before him. He hadn't expected that. The response that Kono gave, somehow saddened him. Obviously, it would mean she didn't need him anymore. He swallowed visibly and cleared his throat. "You said the nightmares weren't about Charlie, though?"

"Huh-uh," Kono replied, admiring the view in front of them.

"Then what?" Steve asked.

Kono shrugged. "You guys."

"What?" he asked, turning his gaze towards her.

She shrugged again.

"Nothing's going to happen to us, you hear me?" Steve asked and he shook his head.

Kono smiled wanly. "There are no guarantees, Steve," she responded softly. "And of everybody, _you_ certainly would know that."

Steve had no response, he merely nodded dumbly and sighed deeply. Even the most thought out plans apparently had a way of going terribly wrong. Just when he thought he had succeeded in ensuring a good life for Kono, one that she deserved, fate stepped in.

"You need to stop doing that," Kono advised as she watched him. Steve had fallen into his own thoughts and didn't realize that she had been studying him.

"Doing what?"

"Blaming yourself – or rather, thinking that you could have prevented what happened to Charlie," she answered. "To me." She took a deep breath. "If anyone should feel guilty, it should be me," Kono said, suddenly.

"What? What are you talking about, Kono?" Steve asked, surprised.

Kono groaned slightly in frustration and dropped her head onto her arms before taking another deep breath. She brought her head up again and looked at Steve. "I still feel his absence, Steve. I still miss Charlie terribly and I _still_ feel how much I loved him," she said, her voice wavering. "But, I can't help but feel that I'm not missing him enough, because it's not as painful as it was in the beginning. I – I feel like an asshole," Kono said, snorting slightly.

Steve shook his head. "It's normal to feel guilty for healing," he said softly. "Charlie wouldn't have wanted you to _not_ get over this – him," Steve added. "And granted, you may never 'get over' him, but he would have wanted you to heal, somehow. Does that make sense?"

Kono sniffed and nodded as she turned her gaze back to the calming waters before them.

After some moments of comfortable silence, Steve stood and extended a hand to Kono. She smiled up at him and took his hand, letting him pull her up. "I think I want to come back," she said.

"Come back to what?" Steve asked, confused as he made his way to the sliding doors.

"Five-0."

# # #

A/N: Not my best chapter. But, I still hope some of you are enjoying this, so please let me know. Some encouragement is always extremely appreciated, especially with the way Season 2 is progressing.

Glossary:_  
>Lanai<em> – (pronounced: lah-nigh) patio (or if you pronounce it: lah-na-ee, then you're referring to the island).


	9. Regrets and Mistakes

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0  
>Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. KonoCharlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: None for this chapter<p>

A/N: Merl runs up five flights of stairs and bursts from the fire door atop a random apartment building in San Francisco and yells, "I want a love-story, dammit!" So I wrote one (I hope).

Thank you readers, your notes of support have been great – even though we've all expressed our frustrations with the new season, it's the differences of opinions that I truly appreciate and find educational. You're all so freaking awesome, I worked hard to give you a quick update. Also, I'm so incredibly thankful to Her Excellency, Pope Francis2, because you made laugh out loud in public (note to self, don't read reviews while on public transport. Especially funny ones. P.S. I mean no disrespect to the real Pope).

Chapter 9 – Regrets and Mistakes

# # #

Tutu Fong's House  
>Manoa Valley, Oahu<p>

"Commander McGarrett, would you like something to drink?" asked Tutu Fong as she led Steve into her living room.

After receiving a call to stop by at his earliest convenience, Steve did exactly the opposite.

When Tutu Fong called, he always responded immediately. Mostly because, she usually called about Kono. But this time, it was different. Kono had been back with Five-0 for weeks now and though Tutu's call was unexpected, Steve still felt that urgency to respond to her request.

"I'm fine, Tutu," Steve responded as he followed the old woman around her cluttered living room. He smiled warmly as she moved aside stacks of newspapers so that he would have a place to sit. "And, it's _Steve_, Tutu," he corrected.

She tisk-ed. "I like _Commander McGarrett_, no?" the old woman asked back, a childish smile on her face.

Steve shook his head, the little old woman in the brightly patterned, floral muumuu clearly had a place in his heart. "You call me whatever you want, Tutu," he replied, smirking.

She nodded, satisfied. "You sure you don't want some tea? I put some _lilikoi_ juice concentrate in to make it special. It's real _ono_ that way," she said, encouragingly.

Steve seemed to visibly reconsider and it was all the encouragement Tutu needed. She pushed him down to take a seat on her floral printed sofa and she shuffled off without another word, returning seconds later with a tall glass of tea. She smiled broadly as she watched Steve take a sip and sigh contentedly.

Taking a seat next to him, she patted him gently on the knee. "Charlie's favorite, in fact all my grandchildren and great grandchildren like this tea," she said pointing to Steve's glass.

He nodded and smiled again. "How are you, Tutu?" he asked.

The old woman nodded vigorously, her head bobbing. "I'm okay," she said chuckling. "I'm managing fine."

Steve grinned at her. "That's good to hear."

"Kono checks on me almost everyday," she explained. "As does my kids and grandchildren, by phone-call or stopping by."

"That's good Tutu," Steve responded.

"But?" Tutu asked, smiling again. "You were wondering, how come I called you, yeah?" she said, patting his knee again.

Steve nodded, his eyes warm, unable to hide the fondness he felt for the woman.

"No worry, everything is okay with me. And with Kono. I just wanted to tell you something and give you something that Charlie left for you," she said.

"Oh?" Steve asked curiously.

"You don't know this, but before I met Charlie's grandfather I was very much in love with someone else," she said. "And if you'll allow, me, I would like to tell you a story about it."

Steve watched Tutu and nodded.

The old woman smiled and rocked in her seat a little before continuing. "I was quite young. But this young man was good, strong, polite, everything a young woman like myself admired.

"Back then, island customs and our families got to me and got in my head. Oh, they all knew, I was very much in love with this man. But their beliefs and ideas about propriety, constantly got in my head. I felt at the time, I had no choice.

"And so, I thought of everyone else but myself. I thought constantly about what my family wanted, what our community wanted, what he wanted – not _what I wanted_.

"When a new family moved into the neighborhood, with a daughter my age, single and beautiful – I knew she would turn his head. And I took advantage of it. I asked my parents if I could go live with my auntie and uncle in Maui.

"I gave up on him, on us.

"I didn't even say 'goodbye'.

"And, I ran away," Tutu said, her voice going softer. She smiled sadly, before beginning again.

"When I moved back a year later, I was already engaged to Charlie's grandfather. And my parents, they were happy for me and the choice I made. Though at the time, I felt that the decision wasn't truly my own.

"I found out later, much later, when my Papa was on his deathbed, that all he and my momma wanted, was for me to be happy no matter who I chose – and that _I would have been_ either way, with either men.

"That young man that I was in love with before Charlie's grandfather? He and I saw each other again, not too long after my oldest son's first child was born, Charlie's older brother, Peter.

"He married that girl, you know? They had two children and lived in Hawaii Kai,"she said, appearing to finish her story.

Again Steve nodded, deep in thought as he processed Tutu's story.

"My point, Commander McGarrett, is that I don't regret the choice I made because he was happy. And it turned out that I was too. Fate or not, things worked out in the end," she said shrugging and giving him a knowing look.

Tutu watched Steve nod once more and stood to retrieve a folded letter from a blue tin, labeled 'Danish Cookies', that clearly held folded slips of paper instead. "Charlie wanted me to give you this letter. Bless my grandson, he was always very practical," she said as she handed it to Steve.

Steve took the piece of paper from Tutu and opened it to read it. He kept his expression passive but Tutu knew and she smiled as she patted his knee once more.

_Steve,_

_She would have chosen you, you know?_

_Thank you for this. I'll try not to blow it, because I'm pretty sure, if you were given the chance again, you wouldn't either._

_Charlie_

# # #

Valley of the Temples, Memorial Park  
>Kaneohe, Oahu<p>

_Dear Kono,_

_Thank you for choosing me and for letting me love you._

_I want you to be happy and if you know how to make it so, then do it. Because you deserve it, no regrets remember?_

_I have and will always, love you, _

_Charlie_

Kono stood in the rain reading Charlie's letter over and over and couldn't help the smile on her lips. She knew now, with a certain clarity why Tutu Fong had waited to give it to her. All these months later and she hurt considerably less when it came to thinking about Charlie. No more nightmares, no more anxiety attacks. In fact, all she did now, was remember the good times with Charlie – the way he loved her, his friendship, his laugh and his adorable nerdiness.

Charlie was such a boyscout she mused, as she looked down at his headstone, always prepared for whatever situation. Or at least he tried to be. And if he wasn't, he'd find a way or a relative to help. But that was how they both were. It was one reason why she loved him.

When she heard and felt Steve come up behind her, she folded Charlie's letter and pocketed it. She turned to Steve and couldn't help but shake her head. "Tutu?" was all that she asked, smirking.

Steve took in Kono's appearance, umbrella-less and soaking wet from the light rain falling on them. Apparently she had been here for some time, but he couldn't tell if she was crying or what. The way she asked if it was Tutu Fong that ratted her out, seemed – normal. He nodded as he took a step closer, berating himself slightly for forgetting an umbrella as well.

"I'm fine, really," she answered before he could say anything, smiling defiantly. "I just, needed to be here, that's all," Kono said as she turned around again to view Charlie's headstone. After a few seconds of silence, she asked suddenly, "why'd you do it, Steve?" She felt him move closer to stand behind her.

"Do what?" Steve asked over her shoulder.

Kono unconsciously leaned back until her shoulder rested against Steve's chest. "End what we had in the first place?"

Steve took a deep breath, realizing that he had finally felt comfortable enough to tell her. "I didn't think I was good enough for you or that I had any kind of future to offer you."

"So you decided for the both us? You didn't even give me a chance to voice my opinion," she said quietly, still not turning around to face him.

The rain continued to fall gently around them and the mid-afternoon sun remained hidden by the rain clouds above them. Steve stood unmoving, relishing her closeness and the vanilla scent of her, mixed with sweetness of the cleansing rain.

"I thought, I was doing the right thing even though it felt like a mistake," Steve said, his voice rumbling in his chest and vibrating against her.

Kono nodded. "I never would have fallen in love with Charlie, if it weren't for you, 'doing the right thing'," she said, snorting softly. "It was a well intentioned mistake, Steve."

Steve exhaled loudly and nodded. When Kono turned around to look him the eyes he said, "I don't regret any of it."

"Good," she said, smiling at him. "Neither do I." And at that moment, it was as if an understanding passed between them. "The question is – what now?" Kono asked, arching a brow and smirking once more.

Steve gulped and looked at her – she was damp and beautiful and standing too close to him and before he knew it, he found himself leaning in to kiss her. And Kono pulled him in, balling up his wet t-shirt in her hands as she kissed him back. Steve had no choice but to acknowledge that kissing her was exactly as he remembered the first time, in the hospital on Kauai. It felt as if his world was shifting and falling into place. The only difference this time was that he felt no fear – in being with her, in hurting her, in not being there for her.

But then, Steve found himself over thinking where they were and what they were doing and gripping tightly to the hem of her shirt, he pulled himself away from her.

"We – what are we doing?" he asked, his voice husky and shaking slightly.

"I," Kono said, taking deep breath. "I – don't know really. But, this feels right, Steve. You know it does," she said, her brown eyes, shiny.

He studied her peaceful expression and stepped back. Steve had to admit that she looked different, which was odd because he had just seen her yesterday at Five-0 HQ. She had a calmness about her now, a brightness, a happiness that felt as if it was coming from her soul. "Yeah, it does," he admitted with a slight, confused smile.

# # #

A/N: Huzzah! I apologize for the shorty chapter. I also know some of you out there are saying "finally!" Heh, I know, I like the build up – it's the 'getting there' that I really enjoy writing. Not much longer for this story either, tentatively two more chapters, but they may not be up anytime soon because work is about to get bumpy, hence the quick post. Thank you all again.

Glossary:_  
>lilikoi<em> – (pronounced: lee lee coy) passion fruit, it's purplish on the outside, yellow with black seeds on the inside and super tart, but floral at the same time_  
>ono<em> – (pronounced: oh no) delicious, sometimes used as _onolicious_


	10. Bittersweet

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0  
>Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. KonoCharlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: None for this chapter.<p>

A/N: Apologies, had a bit of trouble squeezing this last bit from my muse. She had one more chapter left and that will hopefully be coming up soon as well.

Thank you all for reading and commenting as usual.

Chapter 10 – Bittersweet

# # #

Valley of the Temples, Memorial Park  
>Kaneohe, Oahu<p>

Practically driving on autopilot, it didn't really come as a surprise to Steve to discover that once again, he found himself at the cemetery. He'd found himself here on more than one occasion lately, either by himself or with Kono. Visiting Charlie he mused, was different from visiting his parent's graves. His family in some ways represented his past and Charlie's, some how, spoke of the future.

Today, the cemetery looked beautiful as always. Finely groomed grass around the headstones, rolling green hills, set against the tropical rain forests and rain-carved mountains of Kaneohe. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The air was definitely sweeter here, on this side of the island.

Steve stood, looking down on the gravestone before him. Charlie had been laid to rest for almost a year now and Steve could still remember what it was like to work with him as if it had been yesterday. He liked him. He found him to be extremely intelligent, quick, thorough and thoughtful when it came to his work and the work he did with Five-0. And he had to admit, he kind of missed him.

One day, maybe he'd tell Kono of how she wasn't the only reluctant one. Steve chuckled softly to himself. He recalled how, shortly after the eighth or ninth time he asked her to go to the HPD Crime Labs for their lab results, he got a pointed message from Charlie. Who turned out to be, a really, really smart guy.

Steve smiled and shook his head.

It wasn't that Charlie didn't have any confidence, Steve discovered. It's just that, early on, Charlie already saw what Steve failed to see. That Kono's heart was already taken and he flat out told Steve 'no', just like she did all those months ago in his office.

The very idea however, had the older man scoffing and then convincing Charlie that he was mistaken. Steve was so good at convincing Charlie that he managed to delude himself as well. Yes, he and Kono may have shared something special, but he wanted her to move on.

To move on, with Charlie.

Later of course, after succeeding in getting them together, when Charlie was about to ask Kono to move in with him, he actually asked Steve his consent.

"_You're sure it's okay?" Charlie asked._

"_Yeah, yeah of course, why wouldn't it be?" Steve asked back. "I'm happy for you guys and I'm actually kind of surprised you're asking for my permission."_

_Charlie seemed to be studying him then. "It's just – I know you feel something for her," Charlie stated._

"_She's special, to me, that's for sure," Steve admitted. "But, she's with you – she loves you. We don't get a lot of second chances in life, Charlie. I would grasp at whatever opportunity you can with her," he said._

Steve could not help but recall how the conversation caused a dull ache within him that lasted for weeks.

He shook his head slightly, to clear his thoughts. Steve closed his eyes then and let himself enjoy the warm tropical breeze that blew across him as he stood on the slight hill where Charlie was buried. It was time, Steve knew – to take his own advice as well as Charlie's to himself. He wouldn't blow a second chance with Kono.

# # #

King Street  
>Oahu<p>

"Gun!" Danny shouted and before Kono had a chance to draw her own weapon, a body came barreling towards her and tackled her. She found herself pinned to the ground on her stomach, struggling to breathe.

She heard the guys exchange information about getting the shooter and began to squirm. "I swear to God, Steve! What the hell, I can protect myself," Kono said angrily as she shoved the body holding her down off. But then, the very familiar hand and combat boots of the head of Five-0 appeared before her and she looked up in surprise.

"If you and your cousin are through goofing off Kono, we've got a few more perps to chase down," he said, desperately trying to hold in his laughter.

Kono's head whipped around and found an equally amused Chin. "Seriously Cuz?" she exclaimed, unable to believe that her cousin had been the one to pull her out of the line of fire. To be fair, if it weren't for Danny getting the shooter, a second too late and she could have possibly gotten hit.

"A little sensitive, since coming back?" Chin asked, laughing at Kono's sudden expression of horror at her mistake. But before she could respond, he reached out and gave her a bone-crushing hug. "I missed having you with us, Cuz," he said.

"Oof!" Kono exclaimed as he continued squeeze her. "Quit it," Kono said, attempting to push Chin away. "I can't breathe, brah!" she said, finally succeeding and getting him off of her. The older man chuckled.

"Hey, what about me?" Danny said, approaching her with his arms wide open.

Kono smirked and walked towards him. "Seriously guys? I've been back almost a month," she said, accepting Danny's hug.

"We know," Danny said. "But you came back and we were in the middle of a case and we've been so busy since, it just seemed like we never told you," he explained, letting her go and backing up.

Kono turned to look at Steve who seemed to be beaming with happiness. "What the hell are you grinning at?" Kono asked him in mock irritation, as she shifted her Kevlar vest.

"You," he said, still grinning as Danny and Chin nodded to him with knowing looks. The pair then took off in the direction of the other perps.

"What about me?" she asked as she stepped forward and into his space, a challenging him with a look. She felt the warm, comforting heat of him radiating towards her and she felt content.

Steve arched a brow and looked back to the departing figures of their partners and HPD and then turned his gaze back to her. "It was never the same without you," he said softly.

Kono nodded. "I know, we lost some time together," she said. "But Charlie -"

"Was worth it," Steve said, interrupting her. His smile softened as he leaned in closer to her.

"Sometimes things happen because we need to be reminded," Kono said as she gazed back at him, tilting her head up, slightly.

Steve nodded as he leaned forward, his eyes dropped and focused on her lips. "I know. And sometimes it takes me a while – to get there, to realize exactly what those things are," he said, the deep timbre of his voice hitching just a little.

Kono smiled then. It was warm and yet playful. "It's okay, life happens the way it does for a reason, remember?" she asked rhetorically as she suddenly took off to follow Danny and Chin, leaving Steve in the dust.

"Hey, Kono," he said, only slightly surprised, moving quickly after her. "Wait, you never let me -"

"You've got to be faster than that, McGarrett if you wanted to kiss me," Kono said teasingly, over her shoulder as she increased her speed.

And he laughed, shaking his head as he ran after her.

# # #

A/N: Almost done, one more to go. Once again, thank you all for reading.


	11. Sometimes It Lasts, In Love

Someone Like You

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0  
>Summary: Inspired by the song of the same name by Adele. A Future-Fic where Steve struggles with the repercussions of the choices he's made and Kono and Charlie's evolving relationship is struck with tragedy. KonoCharlie. Kono/Steve eventually.  
>Spoilers: Episode 1:14, He Kane Hewa' Ole<p>

Thank you all for reading, reviewing/commenting, adding alerts and faves. And mostly, for still following along. I hope you all like the ending. I've included a brief summary of the preceding chapters since this Fic took so long to finish.

The story so far:

Chapter One – Dreams Come True  
>Steve is visiting the home of Charlie and Kono. We discover how Kono and Charlie started dating and get a glimpse of how it affected Steve. We also get some insight into a decision that Steve made regarding Kono.<p>

Chapter Two – Out of the Blue  
>Another flashback reveals how Steve regrets his decision. In the present, Steve is nervous about seeing Kono again after avoiding her for months. For her, she's clearly missed Steve and he discovers that he still feels strongly for her. Through another flashback, Steve attends Charlie and Kono's housewarming party and discovers that they are engaged to be married.<p>

Chapter Three – Our Glory Days  
>Once more through flashback, Wo Fat is captured and we see the beginning of Steve and Kono admitting and succumbing to their feelings for one another.<p>

Chapter 4 – Hiding from the Lie  
>All good things come to an end and through another flashback, we see the beginning and fruition of Steve pulling away from a 'good thing.' In the present, Steve catches a glimpse of how happy Kono and Charlie are together.<p>

Chapter 5 – I Wish Nothing But the Best for You, Too  
>Kono struggles with the aftermath of the end of her brief affair with Steve in a flashback, especially because he seems to be steering her towards Charlie. Also, Kono's last day with Five-0 has Steve second guessing his choices.<p>

Chapter 6 – Sometimes It Hurts  
>Charlie is the victim of a car accident and Tutu Fong shares some words of advice with Steve, particularly regarding Kono.<p>

Chapter 7 – I Couldn't Stay Away  
>Kono continues to deal with what happened to Charlie and the only person who can help her appears to be Steve. Tutu Fong makes an interesting observation.<p>

Chapter 8 – I Couldn't Fight It  
>We find out where Steve was the night of Charlie's accident and Kono continues to heal.<p>

Chapter 9 – Regrets and Mistakes  
>Steve receives more words of wisdom from Tutu Fong and both he and Kono get some postmortem advice from Charlie, causing them to take a step forward.<p>

Chapter 10 – Bittersweet  
>Steve reflects while visiting Charlie and comes to a decision. Kono returns to Five-0.<p>

Chapter 11 – Sometimes It Lasts, In Love

# # #

Five-0 Headquarters  
>Honolulu<p>

"Hey, guys, where's Kono?" Steve asked as he strode into the offices and towards the conference table where Chin and Danny sat.

"She's getting the food, Boss," Chin answered with a smile.

"A month back and we've got her fetching our lunch," Danny smirked. "We're bad, aren't we?" he asked, chuckling.

Steve shook his head and smiled. "That's fine, just don't do it again. Let's not offend her so quickly, Danno," Steve said.

"Offend? What? She offered," Danny said, attempting to defend himself.

"She did?" Steve asked perplexed.

"Yeah," Chin said. "She did say today was an anniversary day," he added.

"Anniversary?" Danny asked. "What, for Charlie?"

"No," Steve answered. "For, when I asked her to join Five-0," he said.

Chin's eyes crinkled and he smiled. "Yeah, that's right. You remembered," Chin said.

"I don't think I could forget," Steve admitted. He looked at the two men and perched himself against the corner of the conference table. "Listen Chin, Danny – I know I didn't really discuss it with you guys. I hope that it's okay that I went ahead and accepted Kono back into Five-0," he said.

Chin arched a brow and stretched out in his chair while Danny just looked at his partner curiously.

"Accepted?" Danny questioned, gesturing to match. "Oh no, no, no. Like you had a choice?" Danny said, smirking.

Chin shook his head. "I know my cousin, brah," he added. "Seems like maybe she just gave you the courtesy of informing you, that she was coming back," he said, chuckling.

Steve laughed in return. "Yeah."

"Oh, ho! But it's not like you would ever try to talk her out of coming back though, right?" Danny said then, pointing at Steve and grinning.

Chin inclined his head and smiled, his eyes again crinkling.

Steve looked from Danny to Chin and rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms across his chest. "I don't know what you guys could possibly be getting at," he said.

"Oh, no?" Chin asked. "So, you _haven't_ been in love with my cousin since probably the beginning?" he asked.

The Five-0 team leader snorted and tried in vain to suppress a smile.

Danny laughed and clapped his hands together. "You look like you're about to burp out the alphabet," he said, continuing to chortle. "I'm offended. Really. Seriously? What? You think we're blind, Steve? Screw you pal, after all this time -" Danny said, still snickering and his hands still flailing about.

"Boss – brah, I did the same thing you did," Chin said, interrupting Danny's rant. "I gave up what I had with Malia, remember? Because I thought I was doing the right thing. I was trying to protect her too," he said. The older man, snorted and shook his head again. "It was probably the dumbest thing I'd ever done. 'Noble' as Kono called it, when she finally found out. But it was still dumb. I'm just lucky that woman gave me second chance," he said.

Danny leaned forward on his chair. "We don't blame you for what you did, Steve. You were born with some freaky superhero gene," he said, laughing again. "But, I mean look at us," he said, clearing his throat and gesturing to himself and Chin. "We aren't exactly the best examples for relationship advice either," Danny admitted. "I mean, come on. But, I will tell you one thing – after Rachel, I learned to not make the same mistake twice."

Chin chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "I think we learn better the hard way," Chin said. "But Charlie, that kid was walking on clouds the entire time and so was Kono," he said after a beat of silence. "It was nice to see, but things happen, however unfortunate."

Steve gulped and nodded his head in agreement.

"Look, Steve, you love her and you're getting another chance here," Chin said.

"Yeah," Steve said.

Danny shook his head. "Yeah? Just try not to blow it," Danny said. "Because the first time you did, we about kicked your ass. But then we saw them together. Her and Charlie – and it made sense," his partner added. "It really did. But now, it's your turn," he said, pointing at him. "Again."

"I know," Steve said. "And trust me, I don't plan on messing it up."

"Good," said Chin. "I'll hold you to that, brah."

# # #

"Those two left awfully quick," Kono noted as she and Steve were the last two remaining at Five-0 HQ, cleaning up their food dishes.

"My fault. Sorry. I told them today was a half-day and they jumped at it," Steve said, chuckling softly as he grabbed a handful of napkins to wipe the conference table.

"Cuz always had a way of ducking out of household chores," Kono mused.

"And Danny pulled some excuse having to do with Grace out of nowhere. She's a 'tween'," Steve added, incredulous.

Kono laughed then. "Wow, Steve, I had no idea you even knew what that was," she said, smiling.

He laughed too. "Uh, Gracie," he said, by way of explanation, knowing that finishing the sentence was unnecessary. Kono just smiled.

They continued to clean up in comfortable silence before Steve spoke again. "Hey," Steve said as he put down a bag of used utensils and moved towards Kono. "I've been meaning to ask you something," he said, shaking his head as if what he was about to ask her was a bad idea. "Remember that time, you asked me why I wasn't at the hospital when they brought Charlie in?" he asked.

Kono stopped collecting the containers of leftover food and looked at him. "Yeah, but I – I shouldn't have confronted you like that. I never meant to accuse you of never being there for me, Steve."

He nodded. "I know. But you should know, I would have been there," Steve said as he closed the distance to her.

She shook her head. "I know. Chin told me later, how you found the man that killed Charlie, that night. I just – I don't hold it against you, Steve. You know that, right?" she asked. Steve nodded and she gave him an understanding smile. "Plus, I'm guessing, I can't get rid of you now," she said, suddenly laughing.

Steve laughed too, then cleared his throat slightly before speaking again. "I used to focus on what a fool I had been to let you go. And I was okay with it, because of Charlie. I figured down the line, if I was lucky enough, I would eventually, find someone like you," he said as he moved to wrap his arms around her waist to draw her in. "I truly thought I missed out on this – you _and_ your love."

"But you didn't. You never really did – Steve," Kono admitted softly, as she rested her hands on his forearms to look him in the eyes.

Steve's gaze momentarily left hers as he looked elsewhere for his next words. "Since, I'm getting a chance at it again, I definitely don't want to make any mistakes this time around," he said as he kissed her temple.

"You won't," Kono said, almost sounding as if she was making a promise for the both of them.

Steve ducked his head and kissed her quickly on the mouth before releasing her to ask, "oh? You're sure?" He pulled his head back to look at her.

Kono's brown eyes sparkled with warmth and so much affection. "We've lost some time, but it was time well spent, elsewhere. It just makes this time together, even more worth it," she pointed out as she wound her hands up and around his neck to pull his head down for another kiss.

"Yeah, it is," Steve said, smiling as his mouth met hers again.

# # #

Manoa Valley  
>Honolulu, Oahu<p>

The last of Kono's boxes were packed and loaded into Steve's truck and there was just one thing left to do.

"Tutu?" Kono called as she rapped lightly on the back screen-door of the old woman's house.

"Hi Kono," Tutu said as she opened the door the admit Kono. She hugged the younger woman and pulled her away to hold her at arms length. "You look good, honey," she said with soft chuckle.

Kono smiled shyly and reached up to tuck a loose lock of hair, that had fallen from her pony-tail behind her ear. Tutu moved towards her living room, beckoning Kono with a wave, she sat down on her sofa and patted the patterned material, indicating that she take a seat next to her.

"You're all packed, ready to go?" Tutu asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes, Tutu. Thank you so much for everything, you're – you're sure it's okay?" Kono asked.

"Of course, honey. You can't stay here forever, yeah? We know this is what Charlie would have wanted for you, you know that," Tutu said, patting Kono's knee this time. "I'm happy for you, Kono. And I know, my grandson is looking down on you and happy for you as well," she said.

Kono nodded and reached out to hug the old woman. "Thank you, Tutu," she said, pulling the keys to the little house from the pocket of her jeans shorts. She placed them gently on Tutu Fong's coffee table.

When they reached the back door to hug goodbye, Kono watched as Tutu looked through the screen to spy Steve below with his truck, waiting patiently for her. Tutu turned and smiled at Kono, her eyes slightly moist from impending tears. "That Commander McGarrett is a good man. He'll take good care of you," Tutu said.

"Yeah, he will," Kono responded. Her own eyes shiny and full of fondness for the old woman.

# # #

Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett's House  
>Oahu<p>

Chin and Danny had just brought in the last two boxes from Steve's truck and placed them on the living-room floor before collapsing onto the sofa.

"Hey. Pizza will be here in a few," Steve told both men as he emerged from the kitchen and handed them each a Longboard. "Kono upstairs?"

Danny nodded before taking a long pull from his beer bottle. "Who'd have thought she would have so much stuff?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's my cousin and I love her. But, she's still a girl, which means, she's always going to have more stuff than I'll ever want to have to move on my own," Chin said, snorting and taking a sip from his beer as well. He smirked and watched as Danny stretched out next to him to prop his feet on the coffee table.

"What's up with you?" Danny asked, gesturing towards Steve with his beer bottle.

Chin looked from Danny to Steve and arched a brow. "Yeah," chimed in Chin. "I know you're happy about Cuz moving in with you but you look like the cat that ate the canary. What's up brah?"

Steve merely shook his head and looked up to see Kono descending the stairs. She took one look at her cousin and Danny and laughed. "Really?" she asked as smirked at them. Both men on the sofa chuckled.

"How's the unpacking going?" Steve asked as she came to stand next to him.

Kono smiled and nodded. "Almost done, just these two left I guess," she said gesturing to the two boxes on the floor near them.

"Three," Steve said.

"'Three' what?" Kono asked.

"Three boxes," Steve said, pulling a velvet box from the pocket of his cargo pants and getting down on one knee before her. Chin and Danny immediately sat up.

"Will you look at that?" Danny asked, chuckling.

"About time, Boss," Chin said, his eyes crinkling.

Kono gasped quietly before reaching out with shaky hands to take the box from Steve. Opening the box to reveal the simple solitary diamond ring, she removed it from the velvet liner. Steve helped her by taking the ring from her and slipping it onto her ring finger. He grinned and looked at her expectantly.

Her brown eyes glowed and shone with a happiness that he was amazed to be the cause of. That was when he knew, that he was meant to make the mistake of letting her go. Because eventually, they were destined to find each other again. And this time, he wouldn't give up and she wouldn't let him. Because Steve had learned that this time, he had something to offer her finally, other than his love. He had – himself. And that was what she wanted and needed. And he was more than ready.

Kono breathed a "yes" and Steve stood and swept her up in his arms and kissed her as Danny and Chin cheered.

The End.

# # #

A/N: Thank you – most especially to: _IslandGem_, _amblue36_, _sparkerius_, _Seaweed_, _sammie28_, _Froggie2_, _francis2_, _sphekie_, _Martha Smith-Jones_, _CaffeineKiddo_, _zebraboymom_, _copoto123_, _aqiran_, _aprilrunrunrun_, _cdnyellowrose_, _fione.s.t_, _Nao Hikaru_, _Mariedan_, _bushy4_, _x-spacecadet-x_, _TvFanatic97_, _JenB_,_ theravenclawquill_ and _Ghostrider_. I know I'm not the fastest writer, but your PMs and comments have been extremely supportive and I find all of you inspirational. I hope _Someone Like You_ lived up to your expectations.


End file.
